Queen of the Night: Years 4-5
by awalkerlifeforme
Summary: Tara Nox has had an interesting childhood. Lately things have taken a darker turn. From eerie presents and notes from a mystery sender to dreams of Voldemort's return, Tara knows something big is coming. When a competition between the three elite wizarding schools takes a strange turn, Tara finds herself, her best friends, and her boyfriend getting sucked into a dangerous scheme.
1. The Scars

A flash of green light caused me to jump upright in my bed so quickly that my forehead smashed into my knee. I groaned pathetically as I plopped back against the sheet. Now not only was there a horrible searing pain in my wrist from Merlin knows what (a Quidditch practice gone wrong, I was sure), there was also sure to be a knot on my forehead from the impact. I rubbed my hand over my face a few times, feeling the sweat wipe off in droves, as I tried to calm myself down. _Just a dream... it was only a dream_. A very lifelike one, though.

Knowing that I should have laid down and tried to get back to sleep, I sat upright, rubbing at my wrist. It wasn't the first time that I had ever had that dream. At least, a dream that took place there. I had seen that place a number of times. Little Hangleton, as I recalled from earlier versions of it. This was just the latest in a string of them over the last few years. But this one was the most realistic and the one that I remembered the best. Plus I had never woken up in physical pain before. Not like this. Not the kind of pain that I had only felt twice before this in my life.

Trying desperately to ease the pain, I laid flat on my back, breathing hard as though I had been running. I had first awoken from a vivid dream with my hands pressed over my face. Now they were covering up my hand, rubbing at my wrist, trying to stop the pain that was slowly spreading. I was sure that the headache had nothing to do with my hand pain, but it wasn't helping. My wrist and entire hand was burning beneath my spare hand as though someone had just pressed a white-hot wire to my skin. Yes, I had felt this pain before.

Seldom, but I had felt it. My hand was aching much in the same way that it had been when I had been in the Forbidden Forest for a detention in my First Year and I had run straight into Professor Quirrell disguised as Voldemort - which he sort of was. It was that same miserable pain. That same desire coursed through me, wishing that I could tear my hand free from my body. Just as I had on that day. My heart was pounding as I tried not to puke, staring down at my hand. Nothing strange there. Just the average birthmark in the middle of the back of my hand. Nothing more.

Very slowly I sat up, one hand still on my hand, rubbing it gently, the other reaching out in the darkness for my lamp, which was on the bedside table. I flicked it on and instantly groaned. That definitely wasn't a good idea. Instead of leaving it on, I turned off the light and flicked on the reading lamp on the other side of my bed. The room slowly came into view a little bit clearer. It was lit by the soft yellow glow from my lamp and a faint, misty orange light that was filtering through the curtains from the street lamp outside the window.

I ran my fingers over the birthmark on the back of my hand again. It was still painful. Rolling my eyes at myself, trying to convince myself that I was being dramatic, I scrambled out of bed, crossed the room, opened my wardrobe, and peered into the mirror on the inside of the door. An athletic and slightly curvy girl of fourteen looked back at me, her bright blueish-brown eyes puzzled and slightly frantic under her untidy blonde hair. I examined the birthmark of my reflection more closely. It looked just as normal and harmless as ever, but it was still stinging.

Every part of myself looked completely normal - save that I was trying to get used to my slowly growing curves and the extra inch I had gained over the summer. Mom had told me that by my Fifth or Sixth Year I would likely stop growing. I couldn't wait, since I kept growing out of my clothes that I had now and those sweater vests and skirts that I would have to wear when I was back at Hogwarts would show a little more than I was comfortable with if my curves continued to grow. The athletic build was gifted by Dad. The curves were definitely Mom's fault.

Hopefully some other girls had gained them over the summer too. As I paced my room back and forth, I tried to think about something else. About the dream. I spent at least five minutes trying to recall what I had been dreaming about before the searing pain in my hand had awoken me. It had seemed so real... There had been two people that I knew and one that I didn't. The one that I didn't know seemed to be the only good one there. But the green light... Had he died? I concentrated hard, frowning, trying to remember what had happened.

The dim picture of a darkened room came to me after a few minutes. There had been a massive snake on a hearth rug. My absolute favorite animal, it so figured that a snake would be the central character in a lifelike nightmare. There had been a small man called Peter, nicknamed Wormtail. It was a name and nickname that I was all too familiar with. Not to mention that there had been a cold, high voice... the voice of Lord Voldemort. I'd hear it before. There was no mistaking it. I felt as though an ice cube had slipped down into my stomach at the very thought.

Could it have been real? Or was my brain just playing tricks on me because it knew what scared me the most? All I knew was that one of my worst fears was what could come from letting Peter Pettigrew go almost three months ago. Not that we had meant to let him go. He was supposed to have been given over to the Dementors. But Professor Lupin - our previous Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher - had transformed into a werewolf in front of us and the distraction had given Pettigrew a moment to transform into a rat and disappear.

Was there a chance that Pettigrew had gone and sought out Voldemort? I would have thought that he would have tried living like Sirius - in solitude far from here. But if he was scared of Voldemort, who would offer him protection, he might have. So did that mean that I had actually just seen Voldemort and Pettigrew in reality? I couldn't figure it out. It felt real and there was no mistaking the pain in my hand. But it could have just been a nightmare. The pain in my hand could have been a figment of my imagination. After all, it was already starting to fade.

But... There was always a but. My mind kept going back to the note that I had gotten from the mystery present sender in the beginning of the summer - the last time that I had heard from them. What about the note that had come with the present? See you soon. That was what it had said. What if it had been sent to me by Voldemort? It was a theory that I'd had before but never one that I had been able to substantiate. But what if he really was planning on seeing me again sometime soon? I knew that he wanted me. Like it always did when I started thinking too much, my head began to throb.

Now I knew how Harry felt when his scar started to hurt him. These were the worst type of headaches. Stress. My head snapped up after a few seconds as I realized something. There was one person that I knew I could talk to about my strange relationship with Voldemort. My best friend - Harry Potter. I glanced down at my Muggle alarm clock that sat on my dresser. It was just past three o'clock in the morning. I sighed. He wouldn't be awake unless he had been privy to the same nightmare, which had happened before.

Deciding not to risk waking him up, I closed my eyes tightly and tried to remember what Voldemort had looked like, but it was impossible... Definitely not the handsome boy that we had met down in the Chamber of Secrets two years ago. And not quite the lifeless creature in the back of Quirrell's head three years ago. All I knew was that at the moment when Voldemort's chair had swung around, and I had seen what was sitting in it, I had felt a spasm of horror, which had awoken me... or had that been the pain in my hand? Or the flash of green light?

All of a sudden I felt another headache coming on. I knew what that flash of green light meant. There were very few spells that emanated a green light. The Killing Curse being one of them. And who had the old man been? The one that had fallen victim to the curse. By Voldemort or Pettigrew, I wasn't sure. But I knew that there had definitely been an old man; I had watched him fall to the ground. Was he Frank Bryce? Had someone said that name? I didn't remember. But I knew that I remembered hearing it somewhere. It was all becoming confused.

It felt like trying to study Divination. I put my face into my hands, blocking out my bedroom, trying to hold on to the picture of that dimly lit room, but it was like trying to keep water in his cupped hands; the details were now trickling away as fast as I tried to hold on to them. I vaguely remembered that Voldemort and Wormtail had been talking about someone they had killed, though I could not remember the name... and they had been plotting to kill someone else... Harry! It suddenly dawned on me. And I remembered that they were talking about taking me.

Just as they had before. I knew that Voldemort wanted me. Pettigrew had almost handed me over to him when I was a baby - as he had been babysitting me on the night that Voldemort had murdered Harry's parents. Was there a chance that the nightmare had been real? Maybe it was... But who could I talk to about this? Who would know if it was true? That was when I remembered another detail. There had been a sign outside of the house. Little Hangleton, it had said. I was right about where the house was. But where was it? Who would know?

Certainly not me. Geography wasn't my thing. I was bad enough with it back in the States, here in England, I was next to useless. Perhaps my parents would know, but they would start asking why I wanted to know. Harry was just as bad with directions as I was. Harry! I had to tell him about the nightmare on the off chance that he hadn't shared it. He was involved, after all. And if it wasn't real... what harm would it do? Make him nervous and cautious for a few weeks? What else was new? Yes, telling Harry about it was definitely the best choice that I had right now.

Of course that started with getting up and heading over to his house, which wouldn't be a great idea, since it was barely three in the morning. At least if Mom and Dad saw me over there, they wouldn't care. They knew that the two of us were like siblings, so sleepovers and midnight rendezvous had never been anything strange. I took my face out of my hands, opened my eyes, and stared around my bedroom as though expecting to see something unusual there. As it happened, there were an extraordinary number of unusual things in my room.

A large wooden trunk stood open at the foot of my bed, revealing a cauldron, broomstick, black robes, and assorted spell books. Rolls of parchment littered that part of my desk that was not taken up by the large, empty cage in which my Great Horned Owl, Dai, usually perched. On the floor beside my bed a book lay open; I had been reading it before I fell asleep last night. The pictures in the book were all moving. Men in bright red and blue robes were zooming in and out of sight on broomsticks, throwing a red ball to one another.

Next to it was an open journal that I immediately snapped shut. I really had to be careful to make sure that my parents didn't see it. It was the journal that Cedric had given me for Christmas last year. Filled with options on what we wanted to do over the summer and my favorite memories of the two of us. Right now it was open to the time at the end of the semester that the two of us had fallen asleep up in the Astronomy Tower a few days before the end of the semester. My parents would have a cow if they read about that night.

Standing from the bed, I walked over to the book, picked it up, and watched one of the wizards - my own father - score a spectacular goal by putting the ball through a fifty-foot-high hoop. He had been the Head Chaser on the United States Stars for eight years before we had returned to England. Then I snapped the book shut. Even Quidditch - in my opinion, the best sport in the world - couldn't distract me at the moment. I placed _Flying with the Stars_ on my bedside table, crossed to the window, and drew back the curtains to survey the street below.

As I should have been expecting, Privet Drive looked exactly as a respectable suburban street would be expected to look in the early hours of Saturday morning. All the curtains were closed. As far as I could see through the darkness, there wasn't a living creature in sight, not even a cat. Just about fifteen feet away, Harry's lights seemed to be on. Was he awake? Was he awake because of the same reason? I glanced back down at the street. Nothing seemed wrong. There was just the simple orange glow of the streetlights. That was it.

And yet... and yet... There seemed to be something wrong here. It felt like I was missing something. It felt like there was something wrong. My eyes scanned the streets three more times, but I didn't see anything. Not that I really wanted to. Before I could convince myself to check a fourth time for something wrong with the streets, I glanced away and shut my curtains. Just in case. I didn't want to see something wrong. I went restlessly back to the bed and sat down on it, running a finger over my birthmark again.

It wasn't the pain that was bothering me; I was no stranger to pain and injury. I had lost all the bones from my right hand once and had them painfully regrown in a night. My right leg had been torn apart and almost off by a massive snake not long afterward. I had nearly bled out in my First Year. Only last year I had fallen fifty feet from an airborne broomstick and broken almost every bone in my body. I was used to bizarre accidents and injuries; they were unavoidable if you attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and had a knack for attracting a lot of trouble.

It was much thanks to Harry Potter being my best friend. There were a number of other issues and injuries that I had received in school, but it would take me a year to get through all of them. No, the thing that was bothering me was that the last time my birthmark had hurt me, it had been because Voldemort had been close by. He had been in the Forbidden Forest, mere feet from me. But Voldemort couldn't be here, now... The idea of Voldemort lurking in Privet Drive was absurd, impossible. He wasn't a fool and it would be foolish to be here right now.

Suddenly there was a snapping noise from the outside of my bedroom. I jumped practically out of my skin and nearly toppled off of the bed. Once I had managed to calm myself down, I very slowly began moving around. Was the snapping noise Voldemort Apparating into my house? Was he on his way to murder my parents the way that he had Harry's? And then take me to do who-knew-what? But I knew that it was stupid. Voldemort was still a shapeless lump, trying to force his way back to humanity. He was too weak. He wasn't here.

So why was my heart still pounding the way that it was? I needed to calm down. He wasn't here. Lord Voldemort was gone, at least for now. He wasn't coming back. I just had to keep telling myself that. Still fearing the worst, I very slowly forced myself out of the bed. It definitely wasn't someone Apparating here. I could hear more knocking against my windowsill. I walked over and drew the curtains, throwing my window open. To my immense relief, I saw that it was just Harry throwing rocks, as he usually did when he needed me to wake up.

"Harry..." I whispered, placing my hand over my rapidly beating heart. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry," Harry said guiltily. "Did I wake you up?"

"No," I said honestly.

"Bad dream?" Harry asked.

I perked up. Had he really had the same dream that I had? "Yeah. How'd you know?" I asked curiously.

"I had one too," Harry said.

"Hang on. I'm coming over."

"Okay."

There was only one way that we could handle this. The two of us needed to talk and we couldn't do it by shouting across the lawn where someone might have been able to hear us. I pulled my window up all of the way before ducking down underneath and swinging myself outside of my window, onto my trellis. I climbed down it slowly, jumping down the last few rungs, before crossing the yard to Harry's house. I grabbed onto the trellis outside of his bedroom and yanked myself up it. It definitely used to be easier when I was eleven.

It almost surprised me how hard it was now. Maybe it was because I hadn't practiced Quidditch in so long or maybe it was because I wasn't four feet tall anymore. Now I was pushing just over five feet. It took me almost two minutes before I managed to reach Harry's window. He reached out to my arm and grabbed me to let me practically throw myself into his bedroom. We just saw each other last night, but I still brought him in for a tight hug. Probably because the nightmare had definitely put me on edge.

Once we pulled apart, I glanced out towards his closed bedroom door. "Dursley's asleep?" I asked.

"Yeah. We should be fine as long as we're quiet," Harry said.

"Good." The two of us walked over to Harry's bed and we plopped down on it. "Tell me about your nightmare," I said.

"I only remember bits and pieces of it," Harry mumbled.

"Doesn't matter. Tell me about it," I goaded.

We really had to figure out what exactly that nightmare was about. Between the two of us, I knew that we were going to figure it out. We would be able to put the whole thing together. The two of us spent a long time chitchatting back and forth about our respective nightmares. It didn't take long for us to realize that we had actually had the exact same nightmare. There didn't seem to be a single difference between them. It wasn't the first time that it had happened so it wasn't very surprising that they were the same.

We were able to discern this much from the nightmare: It had taken place in a location called Little Hangleton. I remembered seeing that on a sign outside and also from old nightmares. Harry took my word on that. We knew that it had happened at a large and old fashioned house that seemed to have no permanent tenants. It was a lovely manor. There was a caretaker by the name of Frank Bryce; another thing that Harry had taken my word on. We quickly realized that he was just a normal Muggle man with nothing magical about him.

It seemed that what had happened was, upon hearing something strange, he had gone up to the house to investigate. Perhaps because he thought that there were some teenagers looting through the house. Once there, he had traipsed through the house to an upstairs bedroom. There were two voices speaking upstairs that Frank Bryce had listened in on, clearly not understanding what he was hearing. One had continuously used the term My Lord where the other had a high, cold voice.

There had been something about someone named Nagini. Neither one of us knew who or what that was supposed to be. I had never heard the name before. There was a slight mention of the Quidditch World Cup, which at least told us that this was happening sometime around right now, since the World Cup was only a few days away. They had also mentioned the Ministry of Magic, which made sense. The two of them had mentioned both Harry's and my own name. Apparently there was something to be done with Harry and they needed to finally find me.

Our thoughts were very fuzzy on what exactly it was that they had said. We only remembered bits and pieces of what had happened in the nightmare. We both remembered that Wormtail had insisted that we were well protected. And we were, being here with my parents, the Weasley's later, and then with Dumbledore at Hogwarts. They also had a theory that we were both rejoin them soon enough. I did remember hearing that the two of them had murdered a woman named Bertha Jorkins, whom I didn't know.

The Muggle man was clearly terrified of their words, seeing as they had just admitted to killing someone, and he had turned, planning on retreating to the village and telling anyone about what had just happened. Before he could move we had realized that Nagini was actually not a person. She was a monstrous snake that rivaled the Basilisk, warning her master that there was a Muggle man lurking in the hallway, listening in on their conversation. Then the door had fully opened, revealing that Wormtail was, indeed, Peter Pettigrew.

His rat like face had appeared in the doorway before Frank Bryce. He looked terrified to see the man. On the far side of the room the cold voice had warned Wormtail not to be rude and to invite their guest in. That was when the chair had turned and the owner of the cold voice had revealed themselves. It was definitely Voldemort, but neither one of us could remember what he had looked like. There was a flash of green light that I could just barely remember and then Frank Bryce had been no more.

That was the moment that both of us had awoken to the searing pains that we associated with Voldemort. Harry's had been in the scar on his forehead left by Voldemort thirteen years earlier. My own had been in the birthmark on my right hand, that same place that I had gotten the pain in while we had been in the Forbidden Forest three years ago. It didn't take either one of us that long to realize that it wasn't just a coincidence. There was something wrong with the nightmare and the pains that we had felt immediately afterwards.

"So the exact same dream with pains in the places that we know have something to do with Voldemort?" I finally asked.

Even saying it aloud sounded wrong. Harry nodded blankly. "That's what I was thinking. You're the only person that I could think to talk to about it," he said.

"Same. What do you think that it means?"

Harry was silent for a long time. "Could Voldemort be back?" he finally asked.

Now _that_ would definitely be my worst nightmare. I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head. "Doubtful. The world would know. Voldemort's kind of got a big head. He would want to raise the banners in his name if he were back," I said somewhat honestly. We would know when he was back. Everyone would. "No... I think he's still a lifeless thing."

"So you think that we're overreacting?" Harry asked.

"No. I don't think that we both had the exact same nightmare for nothing, but I don't know how useful it would be to get worried about it either," I said half-truthfully.

It wasn't that I didn't think that there was a point getting worried. I had a good feeling that I actually did have a reason to be worried. The dream had just been too realistic and had seemed too pointed at us. But I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. We had been babysat by the teachers before and it was miserable. Plus I knew that if I said something about it, everyone would start making huge deals out of it. It wasn't that I didn't want to be worried about it, it was more that I didn't want everyone else making a huge deal out of it.

"Maybe we should tell someone," Harry said slowly.

"Who will we tell without freaking them out?" I asked him curiously. Everyone would panic if we told them that we had seen Voldemort. "We have no proof other than a vague memory of the nightmare."

Harry was silent for a few moments before saying, "You think that no one will believe us."

Would someone believe us? Not many. Maybe just a set few. "I think that no one ever believes us. Sometimes not even when we have proof," I said, remembering Professor McGonagall's words when we had told her about the Sorcerer's Stone being in danger in our First Year.

"The Dursley's would be pointless," Harry reasoned.

"Absolutely," I agreed.

"What about your parents?" Harry asked.

As far as adults went, they were the best. "They'd probably be our best bets. They have in's with the Ministry and Dumbledore. But even they would get oddly weirded out if I told them about the nightmares. Neither one of us would never be allowed to leave the house," I said truthfully. "And you know the Ministry and Fudge. They're useless! They'd think that we were overreacting and send us to St. Mungo's."

"What?" Harry asked dumbly.

"The Wizarding World hospital," I explained.

"Yeah. You're right. They don't want to believe that Voldemort could come back," Harry muttered.

Why we even had the Ministry of Magic was beyond me. They never did anything useful. "To be fair, neither do I. If we tell them, they're just going to think that we need some help. They won't go investigate it themselves. Remember, these are the people who didn't even know that Voldemort's birth name was Tom Riddle. They're morons," I growled.

Harry nodded blankly. "Another good point. We're probably just having a strange nightmare," Harry said, not sounding convinced.

"And we are linked by Voldemort anyways," I said slowly, trying to convince myself.

"Exactly. We've had the same or similar dreams and nightmares before."

"So we agree not to get too panicked?"

"Agreed."

It was obvious enough that neither one of us really wanted to mention this to anyone. We both clearly knew that it was the right thing to do - the safe thing to do - but it would cause all sorts of nightmares. We would be sucked into the Ministry and all of their foolishness and I would have no chance at a normal Fourth Year. Neither one of us would. Nope. It was best to stay quiet until we had something that was actual proof. Right now we only had a vague memory of a dream. We could stay quiet for just a little while longer. One normal year. That was all that I wanted.

A normal year with my normal boyfriend and my normal friends with nothing trying to kill me. That sounded nice. "Although, if it happens again, I'd be more inclined to tell them," I finally conceded.

"Agreed," Harry said immediately.

I supposed that it was a good enough happy medium. The two of us laid down in bed together for a little while, doing nothing. It wasn't often that we got a chance to try and relax with nothing more to worry about than grades. So right now we were trying to forget about that dream. I had my head in my hands with my elbows against my knees while Harry laid down against my leg. The two of us hadn't gotten much of a chance to see each other in general since Harry's birthday a few days ago. I had been out and about lately - mostly with Cedric.

As we laid together my brain started to wander off into the far reaches of my recent memory. As much as I would have liked to think about my summer afternoons with the twin's joke shop, or running around with Harry, or stolen kisses with Cedric, I started thinking about the the mystery present sender. I had never told any of the others about the present that had appeared on my bed after I had gotten back home at the end of the semester. Everyone had been so happy to see Sirius and get to talk with him that I didn't want to interrupt the happy air.

After he had left, I had kind of forgotten about it. When Sirius was here we had all had a nice dinner together and talked mostly about ourselves to catch up. Clearly Harry had been thrilled to get even an hour more with Sirius. During the dinner I had even found out that Justin was a boy that Mom had dated in her Fourth Year that Dad had relentlessly teased and threatened. It had gotten so hard that Justin had finally broken up with Mom, who hadn't been happy about it. Naturally she had screamed at Dad and hadn't spoken to him for weeks afterwards.

The story had made me laugh and practically forget about the present. But it was back in the forefront of my mind now. "I have to tell you something," I told Harry, sitting up.

"Okay."

"I got another one of the boxes," I spat out.

Harry's eyes bugged out of his head as he sat bolt upright. "What?" Harry gasped. "But it's been so long!"

"Hush!" I hissed, hearing Dudley and Vermin give loud snorts. We definitely didn't need to wake them up. "I know... I know... I got it the day that we got back home. It had a little piece of steel in it with that same number engraved into it."

"Was there a note with it?" Harry asked.

One had never come without a note. "Yes," I said.

"What'd it say?"

"'See you soon.'"

Harry stared at me for a few moments. "See you soon?" he repeated. I nodded. "What does that mean?"

Suppressing the urge to roll my eyes at the stupid question, I shifted on his bed slightly. "I'd imagine that it means exactly what it sounds like. I'm going to meet the mystery present sender soon," I said, an eerie chill shooting up my spine. "I thought that maybe someone was just playing a prank on me or it was meant to unsettle me... but now..."

Thankfully Harry and I had always been able to pick up on each other's thoughts. "You're thinking that it might be Voldemort. If he really is back," he said.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

Was the whole thing really that much of a coincidence? Voldemort could have been getting others to do his bidding for him. Now, as soon as I got a present that indicated that I would meet the mystery sender soon, I also have a nightmare that showed Voldemort returning. It just seemed too well-timed to be anyone else. The thought unnerved me even more. How much longer would it be before I met him? Would he kill me immediately or would he try and use me for something? Would he meet Harry too? A dull throb began in my temple and worked its way to behind my eye.

"But don't you remember what he said?" Harry asked suddenly, sounding excited about something. I shook my head. "He told you that it wasn't him doing it in the Chamber of Secrets and down in the dungeons."

"You don't think that he can lie?" I shot back.

Harry shook his head. "It's just so strange. Why is it only happening to you?" he asked.

As good of a question as any. It was one that I had asked myself many times. Why was I the only person who got the mystery boxes and notes? No one else that I knew had gotten any. Not even Harry, which didn't make much sense. He was the Boy Who Lived. I was just some nobody with a strange connection to Voldemort. No one knew who I was and I was perfectly happy letting Harry have all of the crazy things to deal with. I didn't want to be in the center of this. But it didn't look like I was going to get what I wanted this time around.

"Trust me when I say that I ask myself that question all the time," I groaned.

Harry gave a slight smile and grabbed my hand. "You haven't told anyone else?" he asked.

He was the only person who knew that I had even received the boxes - save Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, our two other best friends. But even they didn't know about this one. "No. I've never gotten one like that before," I said truthfully.

"Have you heard anything else since?" Harry asked.

That was the thing about the boxes that made them so hard to predict. "Radio silence. I just don't get it, Harry. I can't trace these packages. They just kind of show up. They're random. No pattern to them," I said.

The packages never seemed to appear at any specific times. I had gotten one every Christmas since starting my First Year at Hogwarts and I had also gotten one on the first day of summer after each year had ended, but those were the only ones that regularly showed up. Otherwise they appeared at random and without warning. All I knew was that they didn't appear for no reason. Each one had included something to do with whatever was happening to us at the moment. That was why I had thought that they were a friend and not a foe for so long.

"They always seem to have some kind of help in them though. Remember First Year?" I asked Harry. He stared at me blankly for a moment. "All of the packages had some kind of red stone in them."

"The Sorcerer's Stone," Harry responded, finally understanding what I was getting at.

"Mm-hmm," I confirmed. "Second Year. They all had snake skin or something like that, with the exception of the doll that looked like Hagrid."

"Warning you about the Basilisk and that Hagrid wasn't the heir," Harry reasoned.

"Yes. Last year was the rat's tail."

"Scabbers. Pettigrew."

"Yes. This person has helped us every single year in their own way," I said. It had been my own theory that they weren't actually bad, considering that they had been trying to help us. So it couldn't have been Voldemort. Could it? "We've always just been too slow to pick up on it. Now there's a piece of metal."

"What could that mean?" Harry asked.

On the off chance that it was Voldemort, I didn't really know what metal would have to do with him. I didn't know what metal had to do with anyone, actually. I didn't know what the number eighty-three had to do with anything. Being born in nineteen eighty-three maybe, but we had already come to the conclusion that we didn't know of anyone born that year worth any significance. I had always liked mystery novels growing up, but right now I really wasn't enjoying being in one myself. Even Hermione didn't have an answer, and that was when we knew that things were screwed up.

"I don't know," I finally admitted to Harry. "That doesn't make sense. The number doesn't make sense. The note... I guess that makes sense, but I don't want to meet this person. I don't have the slightest clue who it could be other than Voldemort and that just doesn't seem right."

There was no reasonable way that it could be Voldemort. I just didn't believe it. They knew that I was sharing the notes with Harry and Voldemort wanted Harry dead. It wasn't my own parents or anyone else's. That would have been way too creepy. It was no one at Hogwarts; that much I was confident in. Dumbledore, the man in my dreams, Professor Lupin, and Sirius were all out of the running. Pettigrew was too much of a coward to do it. Voldemort himself had told me that it wasn't him. So who did that leave? One of Voldemort's Death Eaters? I wasn't sure.

After a few minutes, Harry started laughing. I turned to him in surprise. "We seem to set a new record every year with how early we can cause a problem," he said.

We both smiled. "Aunt Marge came earlier last year," I pointed out. "How is the dear relative?"

"Never allowed to be in the same room as either one of us ever again."

"Good." Marge Dursley could stay on the other side of the planet from me for all I cared. Especially since she always had something rude to say about me. "Let's talk about something else. This creeps me out," I said quickly.

"How's Diggory?" Harry asked quickly.

"Really?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him.

Twenty years could pass and no one would ever like the fact that Cedric and I were together. "I'm just asking," Harry said, putting his hands up.

"He's good. Almost got caught last week," I mumbled.

There had been a number of near-misses between the two of us over the past few weeks. The first one had come just days after we had gotten back home. The two of us were in my kitchen when I had sat up on the counter. Cedric had been standing in between my legs and had leaned up for a kiss when Mom had walked in. I'd kicked him away from me so hard that I'd left a bruise on his ribs for days. Needless to say that I'd felt terrible about it. But that was only the first in a long line of near-disastrous misses that usually led to one or both of us getting hurt.

Harry seemed to find that part humorous, as he was normally the one that I told about the never-ending near-misses. "So I heard," Harry snorted, having been told about my latest disaster just the other day.

"I wish I could just spit it out but I know that they'll lose it," I groaned, dropping my head onto Harry's shoulder.

"You're gonna have to tell them at some point. Either you tell them or the relationship with Diggory will end," Harry pointed out.

He was right about one thing. I would have to own up and tell them at some point or wait until the relationship simmered out, which I was hoping wouldn't happen. Those were the only two options. At some point I would have to tell them. Although it was starting to sound like a better idea to wait even longer. Especially after Dad had just mentioned the other day that he really didn't start seriously dating until his Fifth Year. They would love me telling them that I was in a relationship with someone two years older than me for over six months...

"As much as I'd like it to, I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon," Harry continued, referring to the potential end of my relationship with Cedric.

I smiled at his wording. I knew that everyone wanted our relationship to end. The other girls in Hogwarts all had massive crushes on him. So had I - right up until the moment that we had started dating. Cedric's friends insisted that I was too young and brought danger and drama wherever I went. My friends agreed that I was too young and that he wasn't good enough - which was a complete lie. My parents thought that I was still too young to date. No, people were happy that I was happy, but no one really wanted us to be together.

"You're right. Better just telling them than getting caught," I finally said.

Which was destined to happen if the two of us kept going the way that we were. "That'll be worse. At least if you tell them they might have some respect that you finally spit it out," Harry said.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

Would that actually make things better? I wasn't sure. The only way to tell would be by telling them and hoping that they didn't lose it. For a while I listened closely to the silence around us. Only the gentle thrum of the air conditioning could be heard. Was I half-expecting to hear the creak of a stair or the swish of a cloak? On my side, I could tell that Harry was also listening for anything strange. And then we both jumped slightly as we heard Harry's cousin Dudley give a tremendous grunting snore from the next room over.

His snores were the only reason that the rest of the Dursley household didn't hear me whenever I made a midnight visit. "How do you sleep through that?" I whispered to Harry.

"Note that we're both awake right now," he replied.

That was a fair enough argument. I felt quite badly for him. Was Harry ever able to get a full night's sleep with Dudley making that noise? Or with the fear that something might have been coming for us. I shook myself mentally; I was being stupid. There was no one in the house with the two of us except Vermin, Horse-Face, and Dudley, and they were plainly still asleep, their dreams untroubled and painless. In my own house was only Mom and Dad, both fast asleep as normal. There was no one that shouldn't be in our houses. I was confident of that.

"In the meantime, how was your night?" I asked, trying to distract myself from the eerie thoughts.

Harry scoffed. "You know, the Dursley's are wonderful as always."

"At least they're letting you wander around a lot more."

They used to rule Harry with an iron grip, but they had let up on him a lot this summer. "Mostly because they think that I'll write to Sirius and tell him that the Dursley's are treating me terribly. They're scared stiff that he'll come here and kill them himself," Harry explained.

"Good," I said, laughing.

Asleep was the way that Harry and I - and pretty much everyone else - liked the Dursley's best; it wasn't as though they were ever any help to either one of us awake. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were Harry's only living relatives. At least, by blood. They were Muggles who hated and despised magic in any form, which meant that Harry was about as welcome in their house as dry rot. They had always hated me - at least, they had since finding out four years ago that I was a part of the Wizarding World. The only reason that they knew about magic was because Horse-Face's sister, Lily Potter, was a witch.

A Muggle-Born, of course. She had been the only magical person in her family and Horse-Face had hated her for her abnormality since. They had tried to stamp out Harry's magic - which would have just created an Obscurus, which was even worse than a normal witch or wizard - but that idea had ended when Hagrid and I had come to tell Harry all about his lineage. For a long time I had asked my parents why we hadn't taken in Harry, but it seemed that most of the Wizarding World agreed that he was best off in the care of his Muggle relatives - which was a complete lie.

The Dursley's had explained away Harry's long absences at Hogwarts over the last three years by telling everyone that he went to St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys. On the Dursley's request - and partially because we did happen to live in a Muggle community - my parents explained my absences by saying that I was going to an elite finishing school. It had definitely given me a good laugh when they had told me that after my First Year was over. I had a good feeling that the Dursley's tried insisting that I went to the sister school of Harry's supposed school.

The Dursley's knew perfectly well that, as an underage wizard, Harry wasn't allowed to use magic outside Hogwarts, but they were still apt to blame him for anything that went wrong about the house. Either that, or they came storming over to my house, demanding to know what my parents - perfectly well-qualified magical people - had done. Harry had never been able to confide in them or tell them anything about his life in the Wizarding World. The very idea of going to them when they awoke, and telling them about his scar hurting him, and about his worries about Voldemort, was laughable.

We were much better off telling my own parents about what had happened. But where the Dursley's would shout at him for using the M word, my own parents would have a conniption and head straight for Dumbledore. It seemed odd, and yet it was because of Voldemort that Harry had come to live with the Dursley's in the first place and I had been forced to move to America. If it hadn't been for Voldemort, Harry would not have had the lightning scar on his forehead. If it hadn't been for Voldemort, Harry would still have had parents and I would have never been taken from England.

Harry had been a year old and I had been two the night that Voldemort - the most powerful Dark wizard for a century, a wizard who had been gaining power steadily for eleven years - arrived at his house and killed his father and mother. That same night Peter Pettigrew had been babysitting me, with the intention to hand me over to Voldemort for a still undisclosed reason. Voldemort had gone to Harry's home first and murdered his parents and had then planned to come into my own to murder mine and take me with the help of Pettigrew.

His timing was the only reason that I had parents had Harry's didn't. After Harry's parents were dead, Voldemort had then turned his wand on Harry; he had performed the curse that had disposed of many full-grown witches and wizards in his steady rise to power - and, incredibly, it had not worked. The only person to have ever survived the Killing Curse was my best friend, still nothing more than an infant. Instead of killing the small boy, the curse had rebounded upon Voldemort, much to the surprise of every single person in our world.

The only thing that I remembered from that night was the flash of green light that had lit up my own bedroom. Harry had survived with nothing but a lightning-shaped cut on his forehead, and Voldemort had been reduced to something barely alive. His powers gone, his life almost extinguished, Voldemort had fled; the terror in which the secret community of witches and wizards had lived for so long had lifted, Voldemort's followers had disbanded, and Harry Potter had become famous in our world.

It had been enough of a shock for Harry to discover, on his eleventh birthday, that he was a wizard; it had been even more disconcerting to find out that everyone in the hidden Wizarding World knew his name. Thankfully he had had me to help explain what was going on. Harry and I had arrived at Hogwarts to find that heads turned and whispers followed him wherever he went. It wasn't long before they began to follow me, too. Being the best friend of Harry Potter was one thing, but I had made a pretty good name for myself too.

From hitting a teacher to consistently hitting one of my least favorite people on the planet (Slytherin student Draco Malfoy) I was always known for making trouble. Plus my boyfriend was one of the most popular people in the school. It had been surprising during my First Year. But we were all used to it now: At the end of this summer, the two of us would be starting our Fourth Year at Hogwarts, and we were both already counting the days until we would be back at the castle again.

Mostly Harry wanted to leave so that he wouldn't have to face the Dursley's again for ten months. I wanted to go so that I could kiss my boyfriend without having to worry about my parents walking in and potentially hurting ourselves by trying to stay hidden. Plus I really did miss the rest of my friends. Magical schools were nothing like Muggle schools, where kids dreaded returning to school. Magical kids could never wait to head back to their respective schools. But there was still a fortnight to go before we went back to school.

"We'll be back at Hogwarts soon enough, Harry," I said, knowing that he was thinking about how long he still had to go before returning to Hogwarts. "Just two more weeks. Before that we'll all get to go to the Quidditch World Cup."

"Who's playing?" Harry asked curiously.

"Bulgaria and Ireland."

"Who are you rooting for?"

"Ireland. They play a lot dirtier than Bulgaria, which makes them so much fun to watch. Ron will be rooting for Bulgaria," I said, snorting at Ron's man-crush on Victor Krum. "Fred and George are rooting for Ireland with me."

Harry grinned excitedly. "I can't wait. Are you staying here or coming to the Weasley's with me?"

"Weasley's. Mom and Dad are working hard to prepare for the World Cup right now. Notice how they're barely around." Considering that Dad worked as one of the heads of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, he was one of the main organizers of the Quidditch World Cup. "They'll meet up with us the morning before we head out and they'll join us," I explained.

"Diggory going?" Harry asked.

"Yes," I snapped. "He and his father are going."

"That ought to be fun, balancing everyone," Harry snorted.

My gaze narrowed at him. "You're such an ass," I growled.

Harry laughed softly, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Just kidding."

Although he really shouldn't have been kidding. It would likely be a lot of work, having to balance everyone. "What about you? Find anyone that suits your fancy?" I asked teasingly. Harry rolled his eyes. "That's not Cho Chang."

"Oh, Tara," Harry sighed.

Harry rolled his eyes, but I meant it. There was no way that I was ever going to throw my support for Cho Chang. She was certainly one of the worst people that I had ever met and was probably one of my least favorite people in the world. Cho Chang was a Fifth Year Ravenclaw who was the Seeker of their Quidditch team. We had met in Diagon Alley a few weeks before the start of our First Year where I had accidentally dropped ice cream on her shoes. She had hated me since. She hated me even more considering that she had a crush on Cedric Diggory - my boyfriend, who I hung over her head.

It was a little (very) childish, but that just showed how much I hated her. Harry was blushing a light red as he shook his head. "No. No one in particular."

"We've really got to get you a girlfriend," I teased.

"Why?" Harry asked.

Partially so that he would leave me alone about Cedric and have someone else to focus on. "Because people keep thinking that the two of us are dating and that's repulsive. No offense," I said quickly.

Harry scoffed. "Somehow I'm still slightly offended by that."

"We've been best friends since we were babies."

"And that's the way that it's going to stay."

"Exactly," I agreed.

The two of us would always be best friends and nothing more. The mere thought of looking at Harry like I looked at Cedric sent a shiver of disgust through me. As we sat in silence, I looked hopelessly around his room again. Some part of me was still thinking about the dream and the pain in my hand that had since faded to a dull throb. My eye paused on the birthday cards the other two of our best friends had sent him at the end of July. What would they say if Harry and I wrote to them and told them about his scar and my hand hurting?

Our two best friends knew about Harry's scar hurting each time that Voldemort was near. They also knew that my wrist had been only hurt when Voldemort had been near in the Forbidden Forest. The thought of both of our Voldemort-related pains killing us just after a dream about Voldemort would likely set the two of them over the edge. At once, Hermione Granger's voice seemed to fill my head, as she was always the first person with advice or reason, shrill and panicky.

"Your scar hurt? Harry, that's really serious... Tara! Last time that your hand hurt was when You-Know-Who was mere feet away! Write to Professor Dumbledore! And I'll go and check Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions... Maybe there's something in there about curse scars..."

"Hermione won't be of any help. She's the one who will make the biggest deal out of it. She reads too much," I mumbled, knowing that Harry was thinking the same thing.

"That's true. But she might know something," Harry said.

As smart as Hermione was - and she definitely had the best overall grades of anyone in our year - she wouldn't know the answer to this one. "Doubtful. Harry, the connection that we have with Voldemort is unheard of. All that anyone would be able to do is theorize. This isn't something that she'll find in a book," I reasoned.

"Who would know?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore, maybe," I said. If there was anyone who knew about something that no one else would, it would be Dumbledore. "He seems to know the most about Voldemort."

Yes, that would be Hermione's advice: Go straight to the headmaster of Hogwarts, and in the meantime, consult a book. One of Hermione's favorite places in the world was the library. Muggle or magical, they were her favorite places. Usually it was easy for her to figure things out. But this wasn't something that was going to have a normal answer. We were going to have to go somewhere else for this answer. Harry and I stared out of the window at the inky blue-black sky. I doubted very much whether a book could help us now.

There was a good reason for that. As far as I knew, Harry was the only living person to have survived a curse like Voldemort's; in fact, I was certain that he was the only person to have survived the Killing Curse ever. It was highly unlikely, therefore, that he would find his symptoms listed in Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions. Plus there was the issue that no one really knew what my connection to Voldemort was. That meant that searching for whatever ailed me was going to be completely useless.

As for informing the headmaster, I had no idea where Dumbledore went during the summer holidays. I amused myself for a moment, picturing Dumbledore, with his long silver beard, full-length wizard's robes, and pointed hat, stretched out on a beach somewhere, rubbing suntan lotion onto his long crooked nose. Or maybe he was just traveling around. Wherever Dumbledore was, though, I was sure that Dai would be able to find him; my owl had never yet failed to deliver a letter to anyone, even without an address. But what would we write?

 _Dear Professor Dumbledore, Sorry to bother you, but my wrist hurt this morning. Yours sincerely, Tara Nox._

Even inside my head the words sounded stupid. Of course I would write more, but the question was whether or not any words that I could write would actually make any sense. Would Dumbledore think that we were overreacting? Probably not. Dumbledore always took every single person's concerns or worries completely seriously. He would take ours seriously. But that didn't stop me from wondering if we really were making a mountain out of a molehill. And would I even be allowed to go to the Quidditch World Cup if my parents were worried about Voldemort stealing me away?

Clearly Harry was thinking the same thing. "Dumbledore would never call us stupid for being panicked about something. But even he wouldn't have some totally rational explanation," I said. Dumbledore was often theoretical about things. "And we both know that he wouldn't want us to get involved with it. He'd do everything away from us."

"Because we're still too young," Harry said, filling in the blanks.

"Pretty much," I said carelessly.

That was the way that Dumbledore had been since out First Year. After we had woken up from our debacle down in the dungeons at the end of our First Year, we had both had a number of questions for Dumbledore about Voldemort and his words to us. We had also asked him the same things after we had met the mirage of Voldemort in our Second Year down in the Chamber of Secrets. We always got the same responses; that we were either too young or he didn't know the answer. I had a feeling that he was just trying to protect us.

We were both since used to it. I figured that one day we would get our answers, we were just going to have to wait patiently for them. That was the only reason that I didn't press for them. And so, knowing that Hermione would only make me even more paranoid about the nightmare, I tried to imagine our other best friend, Ron Weasley's, reaction, and in a moment, Ron's red hair and long-nosed, freckled face seemed to swim before me, wearing a bemused expression. In an instant I knew that Ron would be just as clueless as always.

"Your scar hurt? But... but You-Know-Who can't be near you now, can he? I mean... you'd know, wouldn't you? Or, at least, you would know, Tara. Don't you two have some weird connection? He'd be trying to do you in again, wouldn't he? Take you to his evil lair or something. I dunno, Harry, Tara, maybe curse scars always twinge a bit... I'll ask Dad..."

As much as I did love Ron, he had always been the slightest bit clueless. Which seemed odd, considering that he was from a Pureblood family - just like mine. But his even lived in the middle of nowhere so that they could freely use magic. Not even my own family was like that. Since we lived in a Muggle community, we had to hide who we were. Ron might have been a slightly better person to go to than Hermione, but a lot more people would end up knowing, since the Weasley's were a family of nine. Seven kids and their parents.

Mr. Weasley was a fully qualified wizard who worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, but he didn't have any particular expertise in the matter of curses, as far as I knew. He held a strange fascination with rubber ducks, which I was sure wouldn't help us at this moment. In any case, I didn't like the idea of the whole Weasley family knowing that the two of us were getting jumpy about a few moments' pain. Mrs. Weasley would fuss worse than Hermione. She was much like a second mother to me, much like my own was to Harry.

I'd never met Charlie or Bill (Ron's eldest brothers) but I knew that neither one of them worked with curses like the one that we were dealing with. Charlie was a dragon breeder and Bill was a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts (the Wizarding World bank). That wasn't the same thing as our curses. Percy would likely prattle my ear off about all of his many theories of what could be causing the pain and he would likely try and bring it to the Ministry whilst crediting himself. Percy had just graduated Hogwarts and was incredibly pompous about his wonderful grades.

Fred and George, Ron's sixteen-year-old twin brothers, might think that Harry and I were losing our nerve. They would likely never let me forget about my moment of weakness. I loved the twins, but they could be real jerks. Either way, the Weasley's were my favorite family in the world. They were wonderfully disastrous. I was hoping that I would soon get the invite for me to stay with them. Harry was too. I had to keep reminding him that the Quidditch World Cup was still a few days away. As strange as it seemed, I somehow didn't want my visit punctuated with anxious inquiries about Harry's scar and my birthmark.

Perhaps it was a little selfish of me, but I really wanted to enjoy being with the Weasley's. I loved them all - even Percy, although my love for him was a little less strong than the others. I wanted to tease Ron and help Fred and George on their joke shop without worry. Their mother would never approve, so I was helping them to make it a legitimate business once they graduated in two years. I even missed gossiping with the youngest of the Weasley's - Ginny, the only girl in their family. The two of us and Hermione used to love chatting about Cedric.

And speaking of Cedric, I tried to imagine what he might have said if I took the chance to tell him about the dream. He seemed to frequently be concerned that I was getting in over my head, which was very true. That just proved that he did know me well. I had a bad habit of getting involved with things that I probably shouldn't have gotten involved with. Honestly I was just lucky that I was still alive. But what would he think if I told him about the dream and how my hand had hurt the same way that it had in the Forbidden Forest and down in the dungeons?

"Tara... You can't keep doing this all on your own. This is too much for the two of you to handle. You're just teenagers. You need to tell someone else about this. Dumbledore would help. He'll know what to do. You're going to give me a heart attack, you know."

His handsomely worried face sprang right to mind. It was the same look that he gave me each time that he thought that I was getting in over my head, and that was frequently. Yes, I knew that it was exactly what Cedric would have said. It was the same thing that he had said to me all three years that I had already been in Hogwarts and had decided to do something that would probably get me killed. He would insist that I couldn't handle this by myself and beg me to go to Dumbledore, followed by some quip about how I was making him lose his hair.

No one seemed to be a good person to go to for this. I kneaded my forehead with my knuckles and dropped my forehead down into my hands. I could already feel a stress headache coming on. What I really wanted (and it felt almost shameful to admit it to myself) was someone like a... trustworthy criminal? An adult wizard whose advice I could ask without feeling stupid, someone who cared about me, and someone who had had experience with Dark Magic. The problem with Mom and Dad was that they didn't. Mom was a Healer. Dad was a professional Quidditch player.

They might have both fought in the first Wizarding War but I was confident that they couldn't help us here anymore than just going to Dumbledore and demand that he tell them what he knew - which I knew that he wouldn't. I wished that I knew a criminal that I could rely on. Maybe an old Death Eater that had come back over to our side. The only one of those that I knew of was Professor Snape and I had a feeling that he would sooner poison himself than help either one of us. He would probably find it funny if Voldemort came after us.

"Sirius!" Harry gasped suddenly.

I bolted up off of the bed and whipped around. "Is he here?" I asked breathlessly.

Did he know that we were here and in distress? Was he trying to help us? "What?" Harry asked me, looking baffled. "No. We should talk to him about it!"

If Harry had ever had a good idea, this was probably it. "Well... Sirius does know about the Dark Arts, having grown up in the Black house and having been in Azkaban as long as he was," I pointed out. He definitely had some knowledge of it, secondhand or not. "But he might write to my parents about it if he's concerned."

"So then we'll explain it to them," Harry said pointedly. "If nothing else, Sirius might have an actual explanation."

He might not have ever been on Voldemort's side, but Sirius had spent twelve years in Azkaban along with some of Voldemort's most trusted confidantes. Maybe he had heard something over the years. But I was concerned that he would mention it to my parents and I didn't want them panicking and potentially moving us back to the States again. I knew that Harry was concerned, but we had already agreed that we weren't going to tell anyone. Although that was kind of a selfish thought. He had a right to know.

"You really think that this is a good idea?" I asked slowly. I also didn't want to get Sirius worked up about it. "I thought we had promised not to tell anyone."

"It's one person and an adult's opinion. Something we can really use. I'll make it sound as normal as I possibly can," Harry promised.

"Okay," I conceded.

In the end, Harry was right. We couldn't hide this from everyone. Sirius was at least a good happy-medium when it came to who to tell. Harry leapt up from the bed, hurried across the room, and sat down at his desk; he pulled a piece of parchment toward him and loaded his eagle-feather quill with ink. I hopped up from the bed and plopped myself on the edge of Harry's desk, folding my legs up underneath me and hovering over Harry's shoulder so that I could read what he was writing. Harry took a moment, wrote _Dear Sirius_ , and then paused.

For a moment I sat and waited for him to keep writing. But clearly he was stuck. I grabbed a spare quill and tapped it against my chin. We had to explain what had happened without potentially panicking Sirius. The last thing that I wanted to do was accidentally lure him out of hiding. So I sat, wondering how best to phrase our problem, while also marveling at the fact that I hadn't thought of Sirius straight away. But then, perhaps it wasn't so surprising - after all, we had only found out that Sirius was our godfather two months ago.

There was a simple reason for Sirius's complete absence from Harry and I's life until then - Sirius had been in Azkaban, the terrifying wizard jail guarded by creatures called Dementor's, sightless, soul-sucking fiends who had come to search for Sirius at Hogwarts when he had escaped. Because Sirius was an Animagus - a wizard who could transform into an animal - he was able to shift into his giant dog form and use his less human-like thoughts to slip between the bars and break out without being caught by the Dementor's.

Everyone had believed that Sirius was coming to kill the two of us to finish what he had supposedly started twelve years prior. Yet Sirius had been innocent - the murders for which he had been convicted had been committed by Wormtail, Voldemort's supporter, whom nearly everybody now believed dead. The very man that I had seen in the dream. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I knew otherwise, however; we had come face-to-face with Wormtail only the previous year, though only Professor Dumbledore had believed our story.

For one glorious hour, Harry had believed that he was leaving the Dursley's at last, because Sirius had offered him a home once his name had been cleared. I had believed that I would get a chance to have a godfather; a new family member to rely on without the constant badgering like Mom and Dad did. But the chance had been snatched away from the two of us - Wormtail had escaped before we could take him to the Ministry of Magic, and Sirius had had to flee for his life. We had helped him escape on the back of a Hippogriff called Buckbeak, and since then, Sirius had been on the run.

Buckbeak had also been condemned to death. With the use of a Time-Turner - highly illegal - we had gone back in time to save them and allow them their escape. Sirius had only dropped by the house once, on the first day of summer, to check on us and say goodbye properly, before heading deep into hiding. The home Harry might have had if Wormtail had not escaped had been haunting him all summer. It had been doubly hard to return to the Dursley's knowing that he had so nearly escaped them forever. My family was still around, but nothing could have beaten living with Sirius.

Nevertheless, Sirius had been of some help to Harry, even if he couldn't be with him. It was due to Sirius that Harry now had all his school things in his bedroom with him. The Dursley's had never allowed this before; their general wish of keeping Harry as miserable as possible, coupled with their fear of his powers, had led them to lock his school trunk in the cupboard under the stairs every summer prior to this. But their attitude had changed since they had found out that Harry had a dangerous murderer for a godfather - for Harry and I (and my parents) had conveniently forgotten to tell them that Sirius was innocent.

Harry and I had each received two letters from Sirius since we had been back at Privet Drive. Mom and Dad had apparently received a couple as well. The first had been mostly to tell us that he had settled into hiding and was working on getting healthy again. The second was mostly just to check up on us and ask how our summers had been going (Harry with the Dursley's and me on my quest to tell my parents about my relationship). All of our letters had been delivered, not by owls (as was usual with wizards), but by large, brightly colored tropical birds. I had loved them and really hadn't wanted to send them back.

Hedwig and Dai had not approved of these flashy intruders; the both of them had been most reluctant to allow them to drink from their water trays before flying off again. I was positive that Dai was going to try and eat the macaw that came just a few weeks ago. Just like me, Harry, on the other hand, had liked them; they put the both of us in mind of palm trees and white sand, and we hoped that, wherever Sirius was (Sirius never said, in case the letters were intercepted), he was enjoying himself. He had been pale as a ghost when we had met after not seeing the sun for so many years.

Wherever he was, he deserved to be someplace with nice beaches and a relaxing ocean. Somehow, Harry and I both found it hard to imagine Dementors surviving for long in bright sunlight; perhaps that was why Sirius had gone south. He could run from people; Dementors, not so much. Sirius's letters, which were now hidden beneath the highly useful loose floorboard under Harry's bed while mine sat in my dresser, sounded cheerful, and in both of them he had reminded us to call on him if ever we needed to. Well, we needed to now, all right.

"When's the last time you heard from him?" I asked Harry. "With the toucan?"

The toucan had _definitely_ upset Dai. "The what?" Harry asked.

"The toucan, Harry," I sighed, exasperated. "It's the bird with the large curved beak."

"Oh," Harry muttered.

"Honestly, you need to pay more attention in Care of Magical Creatures. Or maybe go back to Muggle school for a little while," I teased.

"Shut up," Harry snapped, shoving me to the side. "Yeah, that's the last time that I heard from him. What about you?"

"I got a letter about three weeks ago," I said.

Much like Harry, I wished that I had received more than the mere two letters that I had gotten from Sirius this summer. It was definitely not my preferred method of communication and I would have much rather him stayed here. But I knew that he was safer far from here and on the run. Like my parents had been expecting, the Ministry had stopped by the day after Sirius's escape to check if he was at our house. Thankfully they had found nothing and hadn't returned since. Sirius had left our house within hours and had asked many of the questions over his letters that he hadn't gotten the chance to ask at dinner.

After all, with five of us to chat with and only an hour to do so, he hadn't gotten to say much. I had replied to both of his letters very quickly, but Sirius had warned me before he had left our house that he would likely take a while to respond. He was right to do so. He didn't want to tip off anyone in the neighborhood - Muggle or magical - that something might have been off with the constant birds flying back and forth, especially since they were so easy to spot in the air. The Ministry could get wind of it and know where to start looking for Sirius again.

Harry's lamp seemed to grow dimmer as the cold gray light that preceded the sunrise slowly crept into the room. It was now pushing four o'clock in the morning. Finally, when the sun had risen, when his bedroom walls had turned gold, and when sounds of movement could be heard from Vermin and Horse-Face's room, Harry cleared his desk of crumpled pieces of parchment and reread our finished letter that had taken far too long for us to finish. Each time we had gotten close we had argued that it was the wrong thing to say or sounded too urgent.

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _Thanks for your last letter. That bird was enormous; it could hardly get through my window. Tara says that it's a toucan. She says hi, too, by the way._

 _We got to go back to her old house in the United States a few weeks ago. I saw her old friends (I've met them once before) and traveled around with them a little bit. Wish you could have come. I think that you would have liked it. We got to play on the Stars Quidditch Pitch. Mr. Nox says that you have to come once they clear your name and see if you're just as good as you used to be._

 _Things are the same as usual here. Dudley's diet isn't going too well. My aunt found him smuggling doughnuts into his room yesterday. They told him they'd have to cut his pocket money if he keeps doing it, so he got really angry and chucked his PlayStation out of the window. That's a sort of computer thing you can play games on. Bit stupid really, now he hasn't even got Mega-Mutilation Part Three to take his mind off things._

 _I'm okay, mainly because the Dursley's are terrified you might turn up and turn them all into bats if I ask you to._

 _A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. So did Tara's hand. We don't know much about it, just that she felt the same pain when she saw Voldemort. Last time that happened to me was because Voldemort was at Hogwarts. But I don't reckon he can be anywhere near us now, can he? Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterward? Or maybe why her hand would hurt that way?_

 _Tara thinks that we might just be overreacting. We both had the same strange dream. She thinks that our bodies are just playing tricks on us. That's what I'm starting to think too. My scar doesn't hurt anymore._

 _I'll send this with Hedwig when she gets back; she's off hunting at the moment. Say hello to Buckbeak for us._

 _Harry and Tara._

It was almost stunning how long the two of us had taken to come up with the letter to Sirius. But we wanted him to know that this wasn't that urgent. We were more curious than anything. Yes, that looked all right. There was no point putting in a detailed account of the dream; we didn't want it to look as though the two of us were too worried. We couldn't risk Sirius getting nervous and coming here to try and help us - thus putting himself into danger. Harry folded up the parchment and laid it aside on his desk, ready for when Hedwig returned.

She and Dai were out on a long hunt together, as they so often did. "Dudley's diet is really going that badly, huh?" I asked.

"That's putting it mildly," Harry snorted.

"Has he lost any weight?" I asked curiously.

Because the Dursley's were so terrified of Harry and my connection to Sirius, they had practically ordered him to come to my house whenever the two of us wanted to hang out together. It also helped that my parents happened to be fully qualified magical people and I might have let it slip that they were now willing to perform magic since they could blame it on Sirius. Honestly, the Dursley's were such morons that it shouldn't have been surprising. Their fear was much of the reason that I had only set foot (that they were aware of) inside of the Dursley household a few times this summer.

"If he has, all he has to do is turn around," Harry said, referring back to Dudley and his weight-loss adventure. "He'll find it."

I snorted in amusements loudly. Harry was quick to hush me. Vermin and Horse-Face had surprisingly good hearing. "Well... I guess I'm not getting any more sleep tonight," I sighed, leaning back against Harry's pillows.

"Me either."

"What are you doing today?"

"Count down the minutes until I can leave with the Weasley's for the World Cup," Harry said sadly.

"Hang in there. It's coming," I said, patting him on the leg. At that same moment, I remembered my bag that I had slung over my shoulders before leaving my house. "Oh! I almost forgot. From Mom and Dad. Leftovers."

Harry smiled. "Oh, Tara, your parents always have the best food."

With Dudley being on a diet, that meant that Harry was hardly getting a chance to eat, something that had deeply bothered my own parents. They now made dinner for four and ordered me each night to bring the leftovers to Harry. I leaned down into my bag and dug out the cold store-bought fried chicken. It would have been better warm, but unfortunately Harry was going to have to make do this way. We might not have ever made our own food in my household, but we had always gotten the best frozen or pre-heated food from the Muggle grocery stores.

Honestly, Muggles did have some pretty great inventions. I was convinced that we would have starved long ago without microwaves or a stove. How people like Mrs. Weasley cooked was beyond me. I supposed that I was like a Muggle in that way. I rooted around in my bag a little deeper as Harry dug into the fried chicken. I pulled out some extra chocolate and candy that I had been smuggling him all summer long and split it between us. As Harry downed a Chocolate Frog, I munched on a Sugar Quill and the two of us chatted about the upcoming year.

After a while I leaned back and pressed my hand over my eyes. "I can't believe that I dropped Music but not Divination. What kind of moron am I?" I moaned.

"A massive one," Harry said.

"Oh, thanks," I snapped, throwing the Sugar Quill stick at him. "Why didn't you drop it, then?"

"Can't. If I drop Divination, I won't have enough classes to fill up my schedule. I'd have to take something else, which I can't do now that I'm past the introductory year," Harry explained.

"At least we can suffer together," I teased.

Harry smiled. We had both hated Divination since attending our first class last year. It was the art of Seeing, but without a real Inner Eye, it was almost impossible. Because of that, Hermione had stunned our entire class by giving up and walking out. I'd wanted to drop the class, but Professor McGonagall had recommended keeping it if I wanted to be an Auror one day. Apparently it made me look more rounded out than it would if I had kept either Ancient Studies or Music - both of which I enjoyed much more than Professor Trelawney's predictions of the many ways that I would die.

"I'll have to ask Cedric how Alchemy is. I wanna take that in Sixth Year," I said thoughtfully.

"Hogwarts offers Alchemy?" Harry asked.

"Sixth and Seventh Year students only. Cedric mentioned to me that he was taking it this year," I explained,

"Another class for Hermione," Harry said.

"Oh, definitely," I laughed. I was honestly surprised that she wasn't going to continue suffering with the Time-Turner so that she could take all of her classes. "Honestly I can't wait to drop Astronomy."

"Can we?" Harry asked excitedly.

Obviously he was thrilled at the thought of never having to deal with Snape and Potions again. "In Sixth Year, depending on how you do on your O.W.L.'s. You can only advance to Sixth Year classes if your score is good enough," I explained. Even with Cedric's help, I would never pass an Astronomy O.W.L. "So we know that my Astronomy one won't be."

"Sounds tough," Harry mumbled, paling slightly.

Perhaps I shouldn't have panicked him about schoolwork on our summer break... "Nah. Cedric said that as long as you study a lot, you'll be fine," I said half-truthfully. The O.W.L.'s were apparently killer, but Harry was a better student than I gave him credit for. "The only problem that he mentioned was that Snape requires you to have an Outstanding to advance to N.E.W.T. level. If you don't, it really limits what you can do after Hogwarts."

"Marvelous," Harry groaned.

There was no doubt in my mind that Dumbledore would have to step in to keep Snape from purposely failing us and keeping us out of his N.E.W.T. level class. I wanted to be an Auror - as I figured that Harry did too - and that meant that the two of us needed to be in Potions in Sixth and Seventh Year. But Snape hated us more than he hated anyone else and had tried many times to get us expelled from Hogwarts. I imagined that the last thing that he wanted to do was teach us for another four years when he would much rather kill us.

"I was thinking the same thing," I sighed.

"Did Diggory pass?" Harry asked.

Cedric was a Hufflepuff, who Snape still didn't like, but didn't despise nearly as much as he did the Gryffindor students. "Yeah. But guess what?" I said happily.

"Hmm?"

"Apparently it's about the Polyjuice Potion."

The two of us stared at each other for a few moments before bursting into laughter, having to hide our faces in Harry's pillow to keep the Dursley's from hearing us. When Cedric had first told me about the Polyjuice Potion, I had nearly lost it. While incredibly difficult to brew, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I were masters with it. Sort of. To find out who the Heir of Slytherin was during our Second Year to stop a string of attacks on the students, we had used the Polyjuice Potion to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room. It had been completely useless, other than getting my first kiss sprung on me.

What had horrified me at the time (getting kissed by my least favorite person in Hogwarts when I was disguise as my second least favorite person) was now a funny memory. "That ought to be good," Harry said, calming down a little.

The look on Snape's face when he realized that Harry and I knew better than anyone else about the Polyjuice Potion - thereby meaning that he couldn't fail us - it would make the kiss with Draco Malfoy well worth it. The two of us sat together for a little while longer before Harry finally got to his feet, stretched, and opened his wardrobe once more. Without glancing at his reflection, he started to get dressed, looking like he was about ready to go down to breakfast. It was still early, but I assumed that he couldn't sleep.

"You know that it's barely six in the morning, right?" I asked Harry dryly.

"Better than trying to go back to sleep after that," Harry shrugged.

At least he was trying to avoid having another freaky nightmare. "That's true," I said, standing up and heading back to the window. "I'm gonna head back and see if I can get some more sleep before tomorrow."

"Alright. Goodnight, Tara."

"Night, Harry."

I was about halfway out of the window when Harry called out, "Tara?"

"Yeah?" I asked, turning back to him.

"We're at an agreement?" Harry asked. I raised a brow, wondering what he was talking about. "If we have another nightmare that seems even slightly off, or we continue feeling the pain that we felt tonight, we tell someone about it. No more waiting."

He was right about one thing. We couldn't keep waiting and pretending that there were no problems with us. It had led to a few near disasters over the past few years. During our First Year we had tried to ignore the Sorcerer's Stone and that had nearly led to Voldemort coming back. During our Second Year we had tried to ignore the writing on the wall and that had nearly led to Voldemort coming back (again). Was this another thing that we were ignoring with the threat of Voldemort coming back?

Judging by the look on Harry's face, I knew that it was best to just agree with him. "No more waiting," I agreed. "We've been lucky in the past. But this one seemed different. I just don't want to get everyone in a huff if there's nothing to be worried about."

As I once more tried to climb out of Harry's window, he called back to me again. "You're planning on doing something, aren't you?" Harry asked accusingly.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "What are you planning?"

"Bet you that there's a fireplace in Little Hangleton," I said sneakily. Harry's face fell. "Wherever that is," I added dumbly.

Harry grabbed my arm and started pulling me back into the bedroom. "Tara, if this really just happened, you have to know that it's a terrible idea to go there," Harry started. "You'll be walking right into -"

"Nothing," I interrupted. "If it really just happened, they'll know that someone's going to come for Frank Bryce and his body. They'll have to leave." It would be the middle of the day. No one would be there. I would be perfectly safe. "But if I can go and see what's become of him... I don't know. Just to see if something really did happen out there."

Harry still didn't look convinced. "Tara -"

"It'll be the middle of the day," I pointed out.

"You really think that's a good idea?"

"Yeah!" I chirped excitedly. Harry stared at me. "Well... no, but I'm going to do it anyways. I'll use the excuse that I'll be in Diagon Alley all day and I'll be back for dinner. No one will be any the wiser."

"And if you're caught?" Harry asked.

"I've been pretty successful with not getting caught so far," I said.

How many times had we done something stupid and not been caught? Going down into the dungeons to save the Sorcerer's Stone in First Year, a few unauthorized trips to Hogsmeade over the past two years, going down into the Chamber of Secrets in our Second Year, and saving both Buckbeak and Sirius just last year. Those were only a few of them. We had illegally brewed Polyjuice Potion. We had cursed a teacher. We had gone out after hours a number of times. Snuck into the Restricted Section of the library. It didn't seem to end.

"Tara -"

"You can't come with me, right?" I interrupted. Harry looked like he was about to argue that he would go with me when I spoke over him again. "You have to behave for the next few days if you want to go to the Quidditch World Cup." Harry stared at me, knowing that I was right. "Exactly. I'll do it alone and be fast. No one will realize that I was even gone. This is our chance to get some real answers."

Harry stared at me for a long few seconds before nodding. "Bring that cellphone that you have. Call if there are any problems," he snapped.

"You have my word," I promised, placing my hand over my heart.

"Come over when you're back, alright?"

"Deal. Love you, Harry."

"Love you too, Tara."

The two of us exchanged another hug as I swung a leg over his windowsill and threw myself onto the trellis outside of his bedroom. I was about halfway out when one of the neighbors walked out of their house. In a sudden panic, I dropped off of the trellis and whacked into the ground. The breath went out of my lungs and I heard Harry question if I was alright. I quickly hopped back to my feet and nodded at him, heading to the trellis on my own house. I scaled it in seconds and literally threw myself back into my bedroom.

As I tried to gather my breath back from the two impacts, I dragged myself back into my bed. I was in a lot more pain than I had been expecting after that fall. Maybe it was getting to the point that I wouldn't be able to do that anymore. As I glanced off to the side of my dresser, I grinned at the many moving pictures that sat in a mess on top of it. One of the biggest ones was of me and my parents standing in front of the Magical Congress and smiling at the camera. In ones next to them were my old friends from the States, who I had met at the Ilvermorny summer program.

Despite having not seen them much over the past few years, they had still been a huge part of my life. And I did write to them occasionally. We all still said happy birthday to each other and got together whenever I came to the States during the summers. Sitting all around the dresser were pictures of my friends from Gryffindor. My roommates Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, and Fay Dunbar were all in a picture during a girl's night. Harry and Ron's roommates Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnegan were all in a picture of us playing soccer.

Next to the picture with the boys was a picture of me with the Weasley's. We were all having a good time playing an impromptu game of Quidditch in their yard. Since they lived so far from Muggles, we were easily able to do it as long as we stayed low to the ground. Ginny and I were tossing the Quaffle back and forth, Fred and George were trying to knock us out of the air, Ron was flying behind us, Percy was rolling his eyes at us, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were smiling at us from the ground. It was a sweet picture.

Scattered all over the room were pictures of me with Harry from every age. There were lots of pictures of the two of us as babies, before Voldemort's attack had separated us. There were some from before our Hogwarts days - at the zoo, the park, and even at school. There were many of us during the summers and some from Hogwarts. Sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room, chatting at breakfast together, laying out by the Black Lake, and laughing with the others on the Hogwarts Express.

On the far corner of the dresser was one of my favorite pictures that I had. Hermione had invited me to go on vacation with her earlier in the summer. Her parents were Muggles and both were dentists, so they typically vacationed in normal spots. They had gone to Italy this year that the two of us had spent the afternoon sitting at an ice cream shop. Her parents had returned just before the sun had set and had taken a rather cute picture of the two of us with ice cream smeared all over our faces in the middle of a laugh.

My favorite picture that I had was sitting at the front of the dresser. There was another picture of Harry and me off to the side to keep my parents from questioning why that particular one was sitting up front. It was a picture from a few weeks ago. Cedric and I were standing in front of the Leaky Cauldron, smiling at the camera and holding our Butterbeer's. An older witch had thought that we made an adorable couple and Cedric had asked her to take the picture. I hadn't wanted to, but on seeing how cute it was, I had asked if I could keep it.

Cedric Diggory was quite the issue in my life right now - at least, the only issue that I wanted to deal with, since it wasn't related to Voldemort. We had known each other since just before I started Hogwarts, but had only started dating a few months into my Third Year. I had still yet to tell my parents about our relationship and had no plans to tell them anytime soon. I kept trying to but I couldn't find the words to do it. I knew that it had to come soon, since we had already nearly been caught a few times. The closest was just last week.

 _Cedric and I were sitting together at my house in the middle of the day while my parents were out. It was the weekend and I'd had nothing better to do so I had invited him over to come and do something. Which turned out to be nothing more than sitting on the couch, watching the Muggle television, which fascinated Cedric, since he had never used one before. MTV was playing at the moment. I laid back on the couch with my legs thrown over Cedric's lap. He clearly didn't understand what the fascination was behind the show that we were watching._

 _"If the station is Music Television, why does it not play music or music videos?" Cedric asked slowly._

 _"It used to._ _Just a few years ago they stopped," I explained._

 _"What did it used to be?_ "

 _"Music videos that played around the clock._ _At night they would have a couple really funny comedy shows. Then by the morning it would be back to music videos."_

 _"Why did they stop?"_

 _That wasn't something that I had ever thought of. But it was the reason that I had stopped watching it for the most part. I missed the music. "I don't know. It might have been a money thing. You'd get more money with advertising during a reality program then you would for a music video. I guess people like the reality television stuff more," I guessed._

 _"Muggles watch this crap?" Cedric scoffed._

 _"Hey!" I barked, kicking him. "I watch this crap."_

 _Cedric stared at me like I had lost my mind. "I can't believe that I'm dating you. I've never been so ashamed of you," he teased._

 _"Oh, shut up," I huffed._

 _"This is really what you do when I'm not around?"_

 _"I have a social life outside of you, thank you very much," I snapped._

 _"Sure you do," Cedric teased._

 _"What? How dare you!"_

 _The two of us laughed madly as I launched after him, moving for the first time for what felt like hours. I sprang onto him as I knocked him back onto the couch. Cedric laughed as I threw him over my waist. He rolled us back over as I reached my legs up and wrapped them around his waist, tightening them in a constricting grip, not daring to lighten up. The two of us wrestled back and forth for a little while, Cedric unable to get out of my grip, before he finally pulled me into a kiss. We stayed locked together like that for a long time when the front door snapped open._

 _Fearing that it might have been my parents - and really not wanting to get caught in this position (which would have likely gotten the both of us killed) - I reached my legs around Cedric and kicked him roughly in the chest. He went flying off of me and whacked into the ground. I could hear him grunt as he landed on his stomach. I quickly rolled off of the couch and onto the floor, dropping to my knees as the front door closed. Cedric looked like he was about to get up when I shoved him down into a push-up position._

 _"Come on, you big baby! You're only on twenty!" I shouted._

 _Thankfully he was quick on the take-up. Cedric began doing push-ups, feigning struggle like he had been doing them for a long time. "You're starting to sound like Oliver Wood," he groaned._

 _"You see? This is why you've never won the Quidditch Cup," I shot back._

 _At that moment, as the two of us managed to calm down, Mom and Dad turned the corner and walked into the living room. I felt like a complete moron. I hadn't even bothered to ask if it was alright that Cedric came over. I had figured that the two of us would spend a little while together and he would leave before they ever even knew that he was here. Mom and Dad stared at the two of us confusedly, clearly trying to figure out what had happened, as they walked up to the two of us._

 _"Tara? Cedric?" Mom asked, clearly surprised to see him. "We didn't know that you were here."_

 _We both sat up and I jumped to my feet, trying to give the least guilty smile that I could. "Sorry. I know that I should have said something, but we were just doing some Quidditch training and you always let Harry come over so I figured that this wouldn't be much different," I said dumbly. They both nodded slowly. "It's okay, right?"_

 _"Well -" Dad started._

 _"Yes, darling, it's fine," Mom interrupted, giving Dad a look. "Just let us know in the future."_

 _"Of course," I said brightly._

 _If I wasn't going to get in trouble for this (or caught) I would do whatever they wanted. Dad gave Cedric a hand up and patted him on the back "Since our girl has likely been bullying you all afternoon -"_

 _"Hey!" I interrupted._

 _"Cedric, would you like to stay for dinner?" Dad asked._

 _Cedric smiled. "Certainly. Thank you, sir."_

 _Stay for dinner... They certainly wouldn't have asked that if they had seen what the two of us had just been doing. "Can you two start getting the pots and pans out of the cupboard?" Mom asked._

 _"Sure. Come on," I said, dragging Cedric into the kitchen. The two of us ran in and laughed as we leaned up against the counter, wiping the sweat of stress off of our brows. "Damn that was close."_

 _"I'll say. Good cover," Cedric whispered._

 _"Thanks. You okay? I dropped you kind of hard," I said guiltily._

 _"Better than falling fifty feet from a broomstick."_

 _"Fair."_

 _The two of us grabbed all of the pots and pans that we needed for a while before Cedric turned back to me. "They're suspicious, you know," he said._

 _Of course. I could see it in their eyes. "I know. I'm working on it."_

 _"Come on. We should get everything ready," Cedric said, grabbing my arm and pulling me with him._

It made complete sense that they were suspicious. Honestly, I would have been surprised if they weren't suspicious. It was rather obvious that they were because the two of us were constantly so jumpy around each other. It also didn't help that the two of us were spending a lot more time together this summer than usual. We did usually see each other a bit, but we had seen each other almost twice as much this summer. Plus Mom did know about my crush on him from last year. But I couldn't just spit it out after we had been so careful not to get caught.

One day I would get around to telling them the truth about what was happening between the two of us. Perhaps when I was in my Fifth Year. At least at that point they couldn't argue that they hadn't been dating at my age. I knew that they both had been in semi-serious relationships in their Fifth Year. Yes, one day I would tell them. But that day just wasn't quite yet. Perhaps I would write them a letter once I was back at school telling them the truth. They couldn't kill either of us that way. But that also might incite a Howler.

Another problem for another day. In the meantime, there was something much more important than I had to deal with. As I climbed back into bed and shut the blinds, I went into my cabinet drawer and went searching for the Muggle cell phone that I had bought from a Muggle junk shop in London a few weeks ago. I went into the contacts list and dialed the only number in the phone book. It was only to talk to one person about our business plan anyways. The other line rang for a few seconds before the person on the other end finally picked up.

 _"Hello?"_ Fred Weasley's groggy voice asked.

"Freddie. Did I wake you?" I asked.

Fred gave a slight groan on the other end but was otherwise quiet for a little bit. _"Well... yes, Tara, you did. You know that it's not even five o'clock in the morning?_ " Fred groaned.

"It's almost six in the morning, liar," I said.

 _"Whatever. It's Saturday morning!"_ Fred snapped. " _No one should be awake this early."_

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I call you back later?" I asked, feeling a little guilty.

 _"What would be the point now? I'm already awake,"_ Fred pointed out.

Perhaps I should have looked at the clock before calling him. "Sorry about that. I didn't really bother thinking about what time it was. I just knew that I was awake," I said stupidly. Fred hummed on the other end of the phone, still sounding half-asleep. "Weren't you telling me the other week that you were actually quite good at geography?"

 _"Yeah. What about it?"_

"Have you ever heard of a place called Little Hangleton?"

 _"Little Hangleton?_ " Fred repeated. I hummed at him. " _Yeah... I think I've heard of it. It's a small village in Yorkshire."_

And just what the hell was that supposed to mean? "English, Freddie," I snapped. Fred huffed. "How far is it?"

 _"From you?"_

"Yeah."

 _Fred was quiet for a few moments. "Oh, I don't know. I'd be willing to guess that it would be about three hundred and twenty kilometers away or so," he reasoned._

"American, Freddie," I barked.

 _"Two hundred miles, you wanker_ ," Fred snapped. Maybe one day I would learn the metric system. Until then, I settled for scowling into the phone. " _It's just a small Muggle community. Nothing of importance, I'd think. Why?"_

"Had a strange dream that I think took place there. Nothing to worry about," I said quickly.

Stupidly I hadn't even bothered to think about what Fred would say once I asked him where Little Hangleton was. I had assumed that he would just give me my answer and hang up. But he was one of my best friends. Of course he would be curious about why I wanted to know about a little Muggle town of seemingly no consequence to either one of us. Now what was I supposed to say? _I had a dream that Voldemort was there and murdered a Muggle man so I thought that I would take a day trip to check it out._ No. Bad idea.

 _"Is that so?_ " Fred asked disbelievingly. I hummed dumbly. "I _t seems a little odd that you would have a dream of no consequence that would still, for some odd reason, possess you to call me at five-thirty in the morning just to ask me where the village was."_

"Maybe I also missed you. Is that so hard to believe?" I snapped, hoping to distract him.

 _"It's near impossible, Tara," Fred said._

"Oh, shut up. Thanks for answering my question."

 _"Thanks for waking me up," Fred growled._

"Anytime," I teased.

 _"What are you asking about Little Hangleton for?"_

 _Say something, Tara._ Something that wouldn't make him wonder if I was doing something abnormally dangerous. "We have some family that I know lives not far from here. About a hundred miles or so. I was thinking that it might have been Little Hangleton, but clearly I was wrong," I said.

 _"That sounds likely,_ " Fred scoffed.

He was almost always able to call out my lies. _Try something else._ "Wow, you're grouchy," I teased.

 _"When you wake me up with a stupid question at five-thirty in the morning? Yes, Tara, no matter how much I love you, I'll be a little grouchy,_ " Fred pointed out.

"I really am sorry about that," I said, feeling a little guilty.

 _It should have occurred to me that it was a weekend and Fred might have still been sleeping. He always had slept in a lot anyways. "It's alright,_ " Fred said _._ He was quiet for so long that I thought he might have fallen asleep when he spoke again. " _Hey, we're coming to get Harry soon for the Quidditch World Cup. Mum sent him a letter but we're not really sure if it's going to get through. Either way, we're coming._ "

"Awesome!" I chirped happily. I couldn't wait for us all to be back together. "Mom and Dad said that I was okay to leave with you guys and they'll meet us the night before the World Cup starts."

 _"Can't wait to have you,"_ Fred said.

"Can't wait to light my hair on fire, more likely."

 _"Now why would I do that? I love you."_

There was the overly familiar teasing note in Fred's voice that warned me not to trust him. "That's exactly why you would do it," I pointed out. Fred laughed softly. "Rooting for Ireland, then?"

 _"Of course. Ron's in love with Krum, so he'll be rooting for Bulgaria."_

"He's got a problem."

 _"That's what I've been saying for years,"_ Fred said. We both laughed softly that time. Ron really did have a crush on the Bulgarian Seeker. I was sure about that. _"What about Diggory?"_

"What about him?" I asked slightly defensively.

 _"He going?"_

"Honestly, you sound just like Harry," I scoffed. "Yes, he's going. He'll be going with his father."

 _"Still working on keeping your secret?"_

"Yes, and it's been going reasonably well. I'd like to keep it that way. I have your word that you'll keep your mouth shut?"

 _"Well..."_

"Freddie!" I snapped.

If there was anyone who I could trust to spill my secret, it was definitely Fred and George. " _Yeah, yeah, whatever, I won't say anything about you or your stupid boyfriend,_ " Fred said carelessly.

"The amount of sincerity in that statement just kills me," I said tonelessly. Fred scoffed. "Is the day ever going to come that any of you like him even the slightest bit?"

 _"They might," Fred said pointedly._

"As for you?" I asked.

 _"No. Probably not," Fred said quickly._

"He's not that bad. You might like him."

Years would pass before any of them - save Hermione and Ginny - even bothered to give him a chance. _"You might forget that I've known Diggory longer than you have. He's in my year. I've known him for six years,_ " Fred pointed out.

What was that supposed to mean? "Is this the part where you tell me that he's not as good as I think that he is?" I asked.

 _"No, because I don't want to lie to you. Diggory is a good guy. I know that he is,"_ Fred said. I smiled slightly. That was surprisingly nice. _"But that doesn't mean that I have to like him._ "

"Just tell me why you don't like him," I pleaded.

 _"Because he likes you."_

"That's a terrible excuse."

 _"Don't want to see you get hurt?_ " Fred tried.

"That's better but still not good enough."

 _"Okay,"_ Fred said slowly. His line was quiet for a moment as he thought about another excuse for not liking him. " _How about the fact that I don't want to see you snog someone..._ "

Something about his thought seemed unfinished. "Was that the end of the thought?" I asked curiously.

 _"Yes."_

"What a good older brother you are. Ginny is lucky."

 _"Oh, please don't say that,_ " Fred groaned.

All six of her brothers were destined to give her a terrible time the moment that she got herself her first boyfriend. "Funny how it works out, isn't it?" I asked slowly. Fred hummed in confusion. "Boys always hate their sisters or friends boyfriends but girls never seem to have a problem with their brothers or friends' girlfriends."

 _"Is that so?"_ Fred asked.

"Seems that way," I said.

 _"So you'd have no problem with me snogging someone?_ " Fred asked pointedly.

In the back of my mind, an image formed of Fred kissing some pretty blonde girl in one of the hallways of Hogwarts between classes. To my complete surprise, there was a slight tugging behind my stomach. I bristled slightly at the thought of someone kissing Fred. Maybe it was because I had never seen someone kiss him before - although I was sure that he had had at least one before. I was the first of my friends to date. I guessed that I just wasn't used to people kissing in front of me. Of my friends, at least. That must have been it.

"Just make sure that she's good to you," I eventually said.

Fred chuckled quietly. " _Deal. You make sure that Diggory stays good enough for you."_

"Deal," I agreed. The air was oddly tense between the two of us. "Hey, while I'm at the Burrow, want to show me everything that you two have been working on over the summer?"

The twins had been hard at work over the summer. In fact, I was sure that it was the most work that I had ever seen them do. They were racking up costs from everything that they were trying to work on. Money was their biggest problem right now. I was able to help them out for some tester products of their mobile prank shop, but even I didn't have enough money for them to do a real start-up. Right now I was assisting with their accounting, and the latest number that I had gotten was far too high. They would never be able to afford it so I had kept it to myself.

" _Absolutely_!" Fred said happily. " _Could use your opinion on a few things."_

"Awesome. Can't wait to see what you two have up your sleeves."

 _"We'll just have to make sure that mum is asleep when we do it. She's not too happy with the few O.W.L.'s we got,"_ Fred said.

"With Percy, Bill, and Charlie in the family? Didn't think that she would be."

 _"She thinks that the joke shop is a joke."_

With three very successful older brothers in the traditional right, Fred and George's love of pranks and jokes didn't go over well with Mrs. Weasley. "Don't let her tell you that, Freddie. I see how hard the two of you are working on it. It might not be what she wants for her kids, but this is what you two love. When she sees how wonderful you are with it and how much you love it, she'll come around," I said sweetly.

 _"Thanks, Tara."_

"You're welcome. See you soon then?"

 _"See you in a few days."_

"Bye, Freddie. Love you."

 _"Love you too, Tara. Don't get into too much trouble without me."_

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Going to find out if Voldemort and his right-hand servant had really murdered a man after discussing killing Harry and taking me - in the exact place that they had done it - probably qualified as dangerous, but I wasn't going to tell him that. I merely hung up the phone and tossed it back in the bedside table. I dropped down in the bed, not quite ready to face what was sure to be an eventful day, and wondered just how I was going to get to Little Hangleton and find out exactly what had happened.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _Tara and an unwelcome guest venture to Little Hangleton during the holidays to find out exactly what her dream might have meant._ Welcome to the next installment of Tara's story! In the original story, the letter from the Weasley's about the Quidditch World Cup happens the day after the nightmare. For the purpose of mine, it will be two days. Just a head's up! Thanks so much for the follows and favorites on the first story! You guys are awesome! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **VincentFGS91: Hopefully this one came out pretty fast! That's an interesting idea, to have some of the other languages. I definitely might be contacting you for that! The theory about Squibs and Muggle-Born's are actually confirmed by J.K. Rowling herself! I thought that it was fascinating and I had never known about that so I knew that I needed to put it in my story. Well I agree about more reviews! We'll see how that goes. Hope you enjoyed!**

 **422: Here's hoping that you didn't have to wait too long for the new story! There is definitely going to be a chapter that will address the tension between Fred and Cedric (not in Tara's P.O.V. for a good reason). You're not being presumptuous at all! That's definitely what I was going for.** **There could definitely be something forming there. As for Tara and Draco's love/hate relationship, we'll see more of that in this story. Thank you for reading! I hope this one lived up to your expectations!**


	2. Little Hangleton

For a while, I laid in my bed and stared at the ceiling. Counted the blades on the fan, watched them whirl around and around, tossed my blanket around with my feet, and rolled over myself to try and find a comfortable position. No matter how hard I tried, it was very obvious that there was no way that I was getting back to sleep tonight. Partially because I couldn't and partially because I was nervous to actually go back to sleep. I didn't want to potentially suffer a dream about Voldemort, Wormtail, or Nagini again.

Eventually, I gave up on sleep and decided to just stay awake. It was almost daytime again, anyways. Sleeping now would just make me drowsy when it was time to really wake up. I stayed awake and stared at the last present that the mystery sender had given me a few weeks ago. I fingered at the piece of metal for a little while, wondering what the hell it was supposed to mean. The red gems were the Sorcerer's Stone. The snakeskin was from the Basilisk. The rat tails last year had been for Wormtail and Sirius.

But what was this one supposed to mean? A little piece of metal with seemingly no significance. There were so many things that were metal. It would take me forever to figure it out. That was the problem. The notes never made sense until after the year was over. I needed to figure them out sooner. The note didn't help either. See you soon. To me, that would have meant a few days or even a few weeks. But it had been a month and I hadn't seen the mystery man yet. At least, I was reasonably positive that I hadn't. I didn't realize it if I had. How soon was soon supposed to mean?

Apparently, it wasn't that soon. I wasn't sure whether or not I wished that it was. I wanted to know why this person was constantly sending me things to try and help me. At least, it seemed like they were trying to help me. But that didn't stop the sinking feeling in my stomach. Not that I really knew what it was for. Perhaps it was because I was afraid that I was really going to meet the mystery sender soon. The problem was that I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to meet them. Would that person be dangerous? Who knew?

Eventually, enough time had passed that I could hear Mom and Dad moving around downstairs. The lights flashed on and the television was quietly murmuring with the Muggle news. So I decided to get up and enact my plan slightly earlier than I had originally planned. I was going to head to The Leaky Cauldron and then to Flourish and Blotts. From there I would head straight to Little Hangleton where I would see if I could go find that old house. Or maybe even find out who Frank Bryce was. If it all worked out perfectly I would have all of my answers and be back before dinner.

Plus no one could know the truth of what I was doing - save Harry. Fred, too, if he was a little bit smarter. I would have to distract him if he started asking about Little Hangleton and our phone call last night. I dressed quickly in simple clothes before pulling on my hiking boots (just in case), tying up my hair, and grabbing my Muggle cell phone before heading downstairs. Mom was sipping a cup of tea at the kitchen counter as she cooked and Dad was staring down at the Prophet, looking irritated about something that he was reading.

Mom glanced up from her tea to smile at me. "Morning, darling," she chirped.

"Morning, kiddo," Dad greeted, barely looking up from his paper.

"Morning," I responded.

"Breakfast?" Mom asked.

"No, thanks."

"No? It's your favorite. Waffles," Mom said.

How was this the one day that she decided to make waffles, the one food that she could make? "Of course you would make my favorite breakfast on the one morning that I couldn't have it," I grumbled irritably.

"Can't have it? Better plans?" Mom teased.

Better? Absolutely not. Maybe, at least. "In a way," I said mysteriously.

"Off to save the Wizarding World, are we?" Dad asked, grinning at me.

"Something like that," I said. I thought about my lie for a moment before saying, "Hermione's going to Diagon Alley for the day with her parents and invited me to come and have breakfast with them. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not," Mom said, smiling as she pushed back some stray hairs off of my forehead. "We'll save you some waffles for dinner, yeah?"

"Perfect," I grinned.

"Tell Mr. and Mrs. Granger that we said hello," Dad said.

"I will."

"Hermione, too!" Mom added.

"I will!"

"Tara?" Dad called.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning back nervously.

Please don't realize that something is wrong... "You alright?" Dad asked, getting to his feet and walking over to me. He was staring at me curiously. "You look a little... worn-out. No offense, sweetheart."

Well if that was all that he thought was wrong with me, it was perfectly fine. I was definitely worn out. Nothing that a little bit of makeup and some much-needed sleep wouldn't help. "Believe it or not, some offense was still taken," I said teasingly. Both Mom and Dad grinned. "I'm fine. Honestly. I didn't sleep that well last night, but I'll be fine. I'll turn in early tonight."

Dad still looked slightly suspicious, but he nodded anyway. "If you're sure," he said slowly.

"Positive," I confirmed. "See you all a little later."

"Have fun today!" Mom chirped.

"Thanks! I'm sure I will..." I muttered, walking off towards the stairs.

Very briefly I dashed upstairs and pulled a piece of paper from my bedside. I was notorious for forgetting my dreams so I made a quick note of Frank Bryce's name, Voldemort, and a few small details from what I remembered, including Little Hangleton and the Riddle House. Once I had finished, I folded the note up, tucked it into my back pocket, and dashed back down towards the fireplace. I slipped into the fireplace and grabbed a handful of Floo powder from our vase. There was only one way to find out exactly what that dream meant.

"The Leaky Cauldron!" I called.

As the green flames lit up around me I heard Mom and Dad call back a final goodbye. I would have to figure out what I wanted to tell them about my day a little while later. As I swirled down through the fireplace I cried out in surprise. I would always hate having to deal with Floo powder. A few seconds after I had left my own home I was blown into the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron, which was far dirtier than any of the other fireplaces that I had been in recently. Pushing myself back to my feet, I groaned in disgust. I'd definitely need a shower tonight.

"Sorry about that, Tara!" Tom, the bartender, called as I brushed myself off and entered the bar. "Most people just use Flourish and Blotts. Haven't had a chance to clean mine in weeks!"

"So I see," I muttered mostly to myself. "It's alright, Tom!"

"Where you headed?" Tom asked curiously.

"Oh, just off to explore, you know. Getting antsy to get back to Hogwarts," I said vaguely.

Tom knew my parents, so I had to be careful with what I said. Thankfully he had never been one to pry. "Sounds about right. Starting to get a lot of the Hogwarts crowd running around Diagon Alley these days. Have a good one, Tara," Tom said happily.

More Hogwarts students meant more business for him. "Thanks, Tom! See you later," I called back.

Giving Tom and a few of the older ladies who were hanging around a smile, I turned on my heel and headed out of the Leaky Cauldron, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. I really didn't need any questions right now. I headed over to Flourish and Blotts as quickly as possible. In all honesty, I wasn't really sure why I didn't just go there first. It would have been completely believable to say that I was going to meet Hermione in a bookstore. But I was a moron and said breakfast and now I was covered in soot and ash.

As I walked down the hallway towards Flourish and Blotts, I tried to pull myself together a little bit. The people in Little Hangleton couldn't think that I was some crazy foreigner and call the cops on me. That would be the perfect ending to my day. I was still in the process of removing dirt and dust from my clothes and hair when I walked right into someone. I staggered back a few steps and opened my mouth to prepare an apology when I looked up at the person I had run into. To my surprise, it was Cedric. The hope in my chest deflated. I would have to get away from him.

He would never let me go to Little Hangleton without a real explanation. "Good morning," I chirped as happily as possible.

"Good morning. You look in an awful hurry to get somewhere," Cedric teased.

"Well, I suppose that I am on a slightly time-sensitive mission."

"Ah. Is that so?"

"Yes," I said, trying to sidestep him. "Now if you'll excuse me -"

Before I could get more than two steps, Cedric called after me. "You know, The Leaky Cauldron is back the way you came."

"What?" I asked dumbly, turning back to him. "I know. I just came from The Leaky Cauldron."

"So where are you headed for this marvelous adventure?" Cedric asked playfully.

Immediately I knew that he had already been tipped off that something was wrong. "Um... Flourish and Blotts where I will be picking up a book and devouring it all throughout the day. It will be very boring, I doubt that you'll want to sit and watch me read," I said as convincingly as I possibly could.

Cedric's brow rose. "Oh, you'll be reading today, will you?"

"Yes. Is that so unbelievable?"

Cedric hummed for a moment. "It would be very believable if you were sitting at home in your pajamas. Not out in Diagon Alley in what appear to be hiking boots. Plus, why would you have come through The Leaky Cauldron's fireplace if you were planning on just heading to Flourish and Blotts eventually anyways?" he pointed out.

Say something, Tara! Make up a good lie! "Their fireplace is closed," I said quickly.

You're a moron, Tara. Cedric raised a brow curiously. "Is it?" he asked slowly.

"Yes."

"Alright."

Did he seriously believe me? "Pardon me, then," I said slowly.

There was no way that I could give him a second to overthink what I had just said. I had to get out of here before he realized that I was telling a lie, which he likely already knew. As I went to move past Cedric, I leaned up on my tiptoes and pressed a small kiss against his mouth. His hands dropped down to my hip to give them a quick squeeze. Cedric grinned at me as I pulled away from him. What the hell was that playful smile for? Nothing good, I was sure. I was headed off towards Flourish and Blotts when Cedric called me back.

"You forgot that we had plans today, didn't you?"

Instantly I stopped dead in my tracks, practically stumbling over myself. His words zipped through my head over and over again. What the hell was he talking about? We didn't have plans today. Did we? Knowing myself, there was a good chance that I had actually forgotten that we had plans today. Were we supposed to get lunch? Go on a walk? Head to see a movie? None of the above? All of the above? Wonderful... Yes... I definitely forgot that we had plans today. I turned back to Cedric, who had his arms crossed over his chest as he grinned at me knowingly.

"No!" I gasped, pretending that I was horrified at his insinuation.

Cedric gave me a knowing look. I tried to keep my straight face on. "Okay..." Cedric said slowly. "What were we planning on doing today?"

Yeah, I had no idea. "Alright, yes," I admitted.

"Am I that forgettable?" Cedric teased.

"Of course not. But something slightly more... pressing came up."

"Pressing?"

"Yes. Pressing."

"What exactly was so pressing that you forgot about our date?" Cedric asked.

No way. He already thought that I hid too much from him and took on too much by myself. This would only make it worse. "Well..." I trailed off.

How was I supposed to tell him that Voldemort was very possibly coming back and trying to kill Harry and I without worrying him? There really wasn't any way for me to make it sound not terrible. "The truth is always a pleasant thing, Tara," Cedric said.

"I'm telling the truth!" I barked irritably. "Something pressing has popped up."

"Would you like to tell me what this pressing matter is?" Cedric offered.

"Not really," I said honestly.

That was enough to tip him off that there was a problem. "What's so pressing that you can't even tell me?" Cedric asked curiously.

Make it sound like it's not that important. "No, it's not that I can't tell you. It's that it's something that I have to do on my own. I... forgot that I had... a summer assignment!" I gasped suddenly, impressed with myself.

We got summer assignments all the time. It wasn't that strange. "A summer assignment?" Cedric asked curiously.

"Yeah."

"You're doing a summer assignment?"

There was a disbelieving tone in his voice. "Well if I want to graduate and keep moving forward in my classes, I can't just ignore the assignments that we're supposed to be doing," I said teasingly.

Cedric grinned. "Look at you. Actually doing your work."

"Is that so hard to believe?"

In all honesty, me doing my work on time was actually something that was rather hard to believe. Cedric gave me the tiniest smile as he pulled me in for a quick hug. I giggled softly, trying to make myself look as happy and carefree as I could. I leaned up and pressed another quick kiss against his mouth. I couldn't believe that he actually believed me, but it didn't matter. I just needed to slip away from him, make sure no one was with me, and get to the Flourish and Blotts fireplace. I could make up the date - and a better lie - to him later.

"Ah... What is this that we were planning on?" Cedric asked loudly from behind me.

I snapped back to see what he was talking about. Somehow he had the piece of paper that I had written my notes on. Damn... "How did you -?" I started breathlessly, cutting myself off. "Thief."

"Liar," Cedric shot back, reading down the list. "Little Hangleton... Frank Bryce... Riddle House... Tara, what is this?"

Idiot. His eyes clearly widened when they traced over Voldemort's name. "Uh, nothing. It's just a list of things I wanted to ask about," I said slowly, trying to put my lie together. "I have this report due in History of Magic over the summer. We have to pick a city in England and write about its magical prominence. I picked Little Hangleton."

Cedric hummed softly and nodded. "That's odd. I don't remember ever having that assignment," he said.

"It's new," I put in quickly.

"From Professor Binns, the ghost?" Cedric asked.

"Um..."

That was actually quite a good point. Of course, he was smarter than I ever gave him credit for. "Let's say for a moment that I believe that this assignment is real. Why, out of every town in England, would you pick something as inconsequential as Little Hangleton?" Cedric asked curiously.

"See? It's that attitude right there. I want people to see that Little Hangleton isn't inconsequential," I sighed exasperatedly.

Cedric rolled his eyes. Anyone who knew me even the slightest bit knew that I didn't care about a little unknown town. "Alright..." Cedric sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What's it going to take for you to tell me the truth?"

"I am telling you the truth," I snapped.

"Okay, so let me help. You shouldn't have to do this very complicated assignment all by yourself," Cedric said earnestly.

Damn me. I really needed to stop telling him about the stupid things that I did. He likely thought that I was on my way to do one of them right now - which would have been right - hence why he was so hesitant to let me walk away from him. He knew that I was lying to him about the assignment and where I was headed. It meant that he was now trying to trap me into telling him what was really going on. I couldn't just tell him that I didn't need help. That was nothing like my personality. But I couldn't invite him with me. He'd try to stop me. So, what now?

"I - I can handle it," I stuttered dumbly.

"Really?" Cedric asked teasingly. I nodded awkwardly. "I've never known you not to want help on your homework. Particularly when it comes to a course as boring as History of Magic."

He had a point there. It was one of my least favorite subjects and definitely my least favorite to study for. "I'm trying to turn over a new leaf," I said.

"Uh-huh. Tara... Tell me what's going on," Cedric goaded.

"It's nothing, Cedric. Just something that I need to get done."

"Tara -"

"Nothing!" I yelped, clearly alerting him to the fact that something was wrong. I tried to calm myself down. "Okay? Nothing. How about we get breakfast tomorrow, yeah? Make up for missing it today."

Cedric nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds wonderful. Now tell me what's going on," he said. I rolled my eyes. We were never going to get away from this. "Tara, you keep so many secrets. From your friends, your family, and me. Knowing you, I know that this one's dangerous. Please, tell me what's going on. I want to help you." I let out a soft breath as Cedric looked back down at my reminder paper. "Where have I heard that name before? Riddle?"

"It was Voldemort's name before he took on his moniker," I answered bluntly.

Cedric's head snapped up from the paper to my face. "What you're doing... this has something to do with You-Know-Who?" he asked slowly.

"I don't know. Maybe," I said bashfully.

"Tell me about it," Cedric said.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion on things... Harry and I had talked about telling someone else anyways. So I decided to just go for it. I let out a deep breath before spitting out what had happened. After all, there was no way that I was going to get away from him without admitting the truth. With that, I decided to just go for it and spill the entire story of my nightmare, why I was heading to Little Hangleton but also leaving out that Harry had seen the same nightmare. I had a feeling that telling him that would only make him panic.

Once I had finally finished my story, Cedric ran his hands through his hair. "So you think that this place could be real? Little Hangleton? You think that You-Know-Who could really be there?" he asked slowly.

"Maybe," I shrugged. I didn't really want him to be there, but if he was, it was vital that I knew and could tell someone else. "It'd be worth a check. And I know that it's a real place. I called Fred Weasley and asked him about it. He says it's a few hundred miles from here. Small mostly Muggle town."

"And Fred Weasley didn't want to know what you wanted to know for?" Cedric asked curiously.

"Of course he did. I made up some lie and since it was the middle of the night and I had woken him up, he believed me."

Cedric was silent for a few moments before saying, "You can't go to a place that you think You-Know-Who might be hiding."

"Why not?" I asked snappily.

"You know damn well why not!" Cedric shouted. I jumped slightly, not used to him speaking to me like that. Cedric let out a deep breath, calming down slightly and pressing his hands against my arms reassuringly. "He's after you, Tara. You're walking right into his trap. If he's really there, you'll be headed straight for him."

Of course, he was concerned about me. But I could handle myself. "Dumbledore himself said that Voldemort's been hiding in the forests of Albania. Safe place. Why would he leave? Even so, it's the middle of the day. Voldemort doesn't want people after him while he's still weak so he's not just going to be out for a daytime stroll. He'll either be gone or hiding," I explained. Cedric still didn't look convinced. "I plan on staying in sight of the Muggles. It'll be totally safe. And maybe I'll find out that it was just a crazy nightmare."

"You should tell Dumbledore," Cedric said after a long silence.

We were back to Dumbledore... I let out a deep breath before coming to the only conclusion that I could think of. "Are you coming with me or not?" I asked, motioning to Flourish and Blotts.

"What?" Cedric asked, bewildered.

There was no way that he was letting me go alone and I needed to get out of Diagon Alley. "I need to go and I'm running out of time. I've got a funny feeling that you're not going to let me go by myself, so either come with me or go away," I said honestly.

Cedric stared at me for a moment before closing his eyes and tilting his head back. "Merlin, help me..." he breathed. I crossed my arms over my chest as he looked back at me. "Alright, to Little Hangleton we go."

"You could always -"

"Shut up," Cedric snapped, already well-aware of where I was going with that comment. "I'm going with you."

Couldn't I have gotten a normal boyfriend who didn't care what I did as long as I was faithful? No, I had to get the knight in shining armor. Which, to be fair, was an odd thing to be complaining about. Either way, I snarled in frustration as we headed off towards Flourish and Blotts. I had really wanted to do this alone but he wasn't going to make that easy. Unless I made a run for it and tried to slip away... I bolted off as fast and unexpectedly as I could, startling Cedric for a moment, but with his long legs he caught up to me in seconds.

His arms wrapped around my waist as he yanked me back. "Not so fast, hotshot," he laughed in my ear.

"Damn you," I groaned, whacking my head against his chest as I leaned back into him. "You're faster than you look."

"Yes, I am," Cedric teased.

All of those laps from Oliver Wood and I still couldn't beat Cedric in a sprint. He gave me a playful smirk as we headed back towards Flourish and Blotts. Unfortunately that time he was smart enough to grab my hand and link our fingers as we walked, ensuring that I wasn't about to run off. I rolled my eyes at his mistrust. But, honestly, it was a smart move on his part, because I had been debating on tripping him this time. Together we walked into Flourish and Blotts, straight towards the fireplace, and stepped in. I grabbed a handful of Floo powder as we crushed into the grate together.

"You're sure about this?" Cedric asked.

No. "Yeah."

"Know where we'll end up?"

"No. Just gonna wing it."

That was something that I should have thought of, but I didn't want to think of anything that might hamper my original plan. "How you haven't died based on that thinking yet, I'll never know," Cedric laughed.

"That makes two of us," I said. Cedric snorted. "Little Hangleton!"

The moment that I shouted the name of the town, I threw the Floo powder down into the grate. The manager of Flourish and Blotts smiled at us as the bright green flames whipped up around us. My head started spinning as the two of us went shooting through the fireplaces and grates throughout England. They flashed by for a few minutes before we were spat out into the very dirty fireplace of something that looked like an old bookstore. The two of us coughed madly as we found ourselves tangled up in a dirty and ornate rug on the floor.

My head was spinning from the rather rough trip. Whatever fireplace we had ended up coming out of definitely wasn't used for travel. I tucked the extra Floo powder into my pocket as I groaned in pain. I'd be bruised up for at least a few days after this. That meant long sleeves and jeans to keep Mom and Dad from asking questions. As I gathered my bearings again, I realized that I had landed right on top of Cedric. His arms were wrapped around me to keep me from falling painfully. He gently released me and allowed me to slip to the ground.

"Oh... are you okay?" I groaned.

"I'm good. Are you?"

"Fine. That's disgusting," I said, brushing the dirt off of my clothes.

Cedric laughed as he hopped to his feet and pulled me up with him. He went to picking soot out of my hair. "Considering that most Muggles don't ever think of a fireplace as a method of transportation, they don't think about cleaning out their grates for people," he explained.

"I suppose that's a good point."

We cleaned ourselves up for a moment. Just as we managed to get ourselves back to normal, an older woman turned the corner. "Oh," she chirped, spotting the two of us. "Hello. I didn't see the two of you coming in."

"We... we uh... snuck in," I muttered dumbly.

The older woman laughed. "So I see. What can I help the two of you with?" she asked.

"We were wondering if you could tell us where the... Riddle House... is..." I said awkwardly.

Would the villagers even know what that meant? "The Riddle House... I think that the two of you were headed in the wrong direction," the woman said, realization dawning in her eyes. Had we come to the wrong fireplace? "Little Hangleton is back in the other direction. You're just on the outskirts. Head towards the hill, about two miles. Must be something going on in town."

Damn it... A two-mile walk? That would be ridiculous. That was also when her last comment hit me. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"There's been a lot of noise for the town. It's usually so quiet here," the woman said.

"Do you know what happened?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No. I try and stay out of everything."

I was about to say something else to try and push her, but Cedric stepped in. "Thank you, ma'am," he said, grabbing my hand. "We'll be on our way."

"Have a good day, kids," the woman said.

"Thank you," Cedric said.

"You too," I added.

He must have known that I was planning on trying to continue talking to her, trying to get her to tell me what was going on. He was right to pull me away before I started saying something stupid to show her that I knew more than I was letting on. Together the two of us walked outside of the store into the town. It was rather large and spread out. I could see the rolling hills and small roads running throughout the outskirts of the town. Too bad that the fireplace hadn't dropped us a little bit closer to the center of town and, in turn, the Riddle House.

As we walked out onto the road, Cedric glanced at me as if to ask me if I was sure that I was making the right choice. I immediately turned a heated glare on him. I was doing the right thing. I knew that I was doing the right thing. I needed to know that I wasn't just having terrible nightmares again, which actually would have been a relief. We walked in silence for a while, heading into the center of town. The entire time I thought about what I would do once we arrived at the Riddle House. Just walk in? Would I risk walking in on Voldemort?

"Are you sure that this is the right thing to do?" Cedric asked as we neared the town.

"I knew that you were going to say that," I sighed.

"I'm serious, Tara."

And so was I. "Yes, I'm sure that this is the right thing to do. Please trust me, Cedric," I begged softly, turning towards him and grabbing his hand. He ran his thumb over the back of my palm. "This is the right thing. I have to know if Voldemort was really in that house. If he really did something to that Muggle man. If maybe I have to start watching my back."

"You didn't even consider telling Professor Dumbledore that something was going on?" Cedric asked.

"Of course I did!" I barked immediately. I wasn't that useless. "Don't be stupid. It was the first thing that came to mind. But I realized that just me having some stupid dream and my hand kind of hurt. That would sound ridiculous."

Cedric brushed the stray hair back off of my forehead. "You know Professor Dumbledore. You know that he would never think anything that you were worried about was stupid."

"No, I know that. I just... I don't know. I don't know what I'm supposed to say."

"Start with the simple. The truth."

But there was something keeping me from doing that. I wasn't totally sure what it was. "When we get back to school," I said.

"Tara -"

"Can we just pretend that this is like... a little field trip?" I asked slowly.

"Perhaps on a trip where we're not putting your life in danger," Cedric said.

That was when something hit me. I gave Cedric such a problem in his life. He always somehow got sucked into the many problems that happened in my life. And how was that fair of me to do something like that to him? It wasn't. He deserved to be a completely normal teenage boy. Not get sucked into whatever batshit insane thing I was having to deal with for the day. I really hated thinking about it, but maybe Cedric's life would be a lot less complicated if we at least weren't romantically linked. Maybe being friends had been the right thing.

Gathering my breath, I spit out what I so desperately wished that I didn't have to. "You don't have to deal with this, you know. I know that my life can be a little overwhelming," I said awkwardly. Clearly, Cedric still didn't understand what I was getting at. "I've said it before. It comes with the territory of being Harry Potter's best friend. And I have all sorts of issues by myself, even without Harry involved in them. I understand if you don't want to be involved or you feel like you can't. If it's what you want, I'd recommend walking away now."

Cedric merely stared at me for a long time. I thought about opening my mouth and speaking again, but I figured that he needed a moment to process what I had said. It was very obvious that he was extremely baffled. The last thing that I wanted was to lose him but I could understand that my life would be hard for anyone to understand and be a part of. I didn't want to drag him into it. Cedric suddenly surprised me by grabbing my waist and pulling me into a bone-crushing kiss that took my breath away. We could have been together for hours before he finally pulled away.

But we came back for another two or three kisses. Each one more and more intense. His hands created bruises on my hips and my clothes felt like they were tearing from his grip. Those kisses were enough to make me almost forget what I had even been talking about before. I'd even forgotten why we were here in the first place. It took a long time for Cedric to finally pull away from me. When he did, I wished more than anything that he would come back. I had never had a kiss quite like that. He definitely wasn't thinking about leaving me.

"You think that after knowing you for the past few years, I don't know what it means to even just be friends with you? I know what it means, Tara. I don't plan on walking away," Cedric said breathlessly, clearly as taken aback by the kiss as I was.

"Why?" I asked.

Cedric laughed and said, "Maybe I'm just as crazy as you."

"I think you're even crazier."

We both grinned. Cedric shifted and wrapped a hand around my hip. "Instead of going to try and find the old Riddle House, the two of us could always go and -"

"What?" I interrupted snappily.

The kiss had been wonderful but there would be none of... that. "I meant just spend the day together," Cedric said, laughing.

As much as I would have loved that, I hadn't completely forgotten about the reason that we were here. "Nice try, you big baby. We're going to the Riddle House," I snapped.

"Come here," Cedric said.

"What?" I asked.

The grin on his face was enough to put one on mine, too. Cedric reached around the back of my neck to pull me into a slightly heated kiss. Not quite like the one before, but no less incredible. His hands worked slowly underneath the tank top that I was wearing as the summer heat blazed around us. It was cloudy in Little Hangleton but the heat still hung over the town. Just as I thought about deepening the kiss, I suddenly saw flashing lights through my closed eyelids. I opened my eyes and pushed away from Cedric. The Muggle police were parked up on the hill with the Riddle House.

"What's that?" I asked curiously.

Cedric pulled back and glanced behind himself. "Looks like the Muggle bobbies," Cedric said.

"What?" I asked, baffled.

"The police," Cedric explained.

"And you people say Americans are weird. Who the hell calls the police, bobbies?" I scoffed. Cedric whacked me over the back of the head. "Look at that. They're sitting up on the hill."

"Maybe we should -"

"Go check it out?" I interrupted. "Just what I was about to suggest."

"Tara -"

"Come on, you big baby. You insisted on coming."

Technically I had insisted that he come just so that I could save the argument. "Or we could go find a nice quiet -"

"Cedric?"

"Yeah?"

"Move it," I barked.

"Alright, bossy," Cedric teased.

We both laughed as the two of us headed up the hill towards the Riddle House and the gaggle of police officers. Or bobbies, apparently. We would really have to talk about that one later. Bobbies... honestly... As we approached the old house I glanced at it curiously. As much as I wished that I could be brave and pretend that this moment wasn't affecting me at all, I found myself more than a little nervous walking up to the house. There was something ominous about it. And what if Voldemort was still there? As we approached the home I saw that it wasn't just the police, a large number of people were hanging around the garden.

They all looked fascinated. Not much must have happened in the town. But were they all here for a murder? Like the old woman at the bookstore had said, it stood on a hill overlooking the village, some of its windows boarded, tiles missing from its roof, and ivy spreading unchecked over its face. Just looking at it, I could tell that it was once a fine-looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around. But at present, the Riddle House was now damp, derelict, and unoccupied. At least, I hoped that it was still unoccupied.

"What do you think?" I asked Cedric quietly.

"Looks like it could just be a normal crime scene," he said.

"Only one way to find out," I said stubbornly. I headed up the hill slightly and into the crowd of people, Cedric on my heels. After glancing around for a moment, I walked up to an older woman. "Umm... Pardon us... What's happened here?"

The woman turned to me with a frown. "Oh, my dear, the gardener vanished last night."

Now that one I wasn't expecting. "Vanished?" I repeated dumbly.

"He didn't die?" Cedric asked.

The woman stared at him like he had grown a second head. "Die? Not that we can see. Yes. Not to worry, they don't think that foul play was involved. Looks like he just had enough of this town. It's not that surprising. He was old, had a stressful life. Well past time for him to move on," the woman explained.

Something about her comment struck me as funny. "A gardener had a stressful life?" I questioned.

This had been a nice manor once upon a time, likely Frank Bryce had worked here for at least some of it. What would have been that stressful? He had lived in that cute little cottage free of rent, so he hadn't had money problems. Maybe the owners had been a little rude and snooty, but that would have just made for an annoying job like so many people (including my parents) had. None of that seemed like it would make for a hard life. Cedric stomped on my foot, making me realize that my comment was probably rude. The woman was staring at me confusedly.

"What?" she asked.

Cedric laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Pardon her. She's a little out of her head. Ma'am, could you tell us the name of the gardener?" he asked, trying to divert the conversation.

"You don't know him?" the old woman asked. Cedric and I shook our heads. "It's old Frank. Frank Bryce."

His name echoed in my head for a few good seconds. Frank Bryce. It wasn't just a crazy dream. At least, not the entire thing. Maybe he really had vanished or maybe he really was dead. But where would the body have gone? Could Voldemort have taken or buried him? Was there a spell to erase his body? Cedric and I exchanged a long look with each other. At least now we knew that Frank Bryce was a real person. Now the question remained over whether or not he was dead and, if he was, who had been the person to kill him?

"Frank Bryce..." I mumbled.

"Oh, you must have heard about him," the woman said.

"Actually we're new in town," I spit out quickly.

The woman looked us over for a moment, her eyes lingering on Cedric and I's linked hands. "You two buying a house here?" she asked slowly.

"We -"

"We're considering it," I interrupted Cedric quickly. Maybe she would be a little more open if she thought that we were a young couple just starting out. So I leaned over and wrapped my hands around Cedric's bicep. "We're engaged, planning on buying a house soon. Just wanted to make sure that this is a safe neighborhood."

We both wore very fake smiles as Cedric planted a kiss on the top of my head. The woman's smile widened slightly. "That's nice. For the most part, yes, this is a completely safe neighborhood. Good for raising kids. If you want to know a little bit more, I suggest you head up Edgerton's, find the old historian's house. They can teach you a little bit more," the woman offered.

"Thank you, ma'am," I said.

"Alright, everyone!" the Muggle policeman began shouting. "Move along, please!"

The older woman said a quick goodbye to us before heading off. I wanted to stay and see what I could find out about the old mansion but the police were quickly pushing everyone away. It wouldn't be long before they started pushing us all away. There had to be something that I could do to get into the house. But what was it? I continued staring at the house, even when Cedric started yanking me towards where the older woman had pointed us to. I wasn't ready yet though. I wanted to see something before we left.

"We need to go," Cedric said.

"You're right..." I whispered.

Cedric clearly noticed that my gaze was still locked on the house. "Go... as in head back to town," Cedric said.

He turned to head towards town as I walked off towards the house. "Wait for a second," I said. Cedric whipped back around to me. "There's something that I need to do."

"Tara!" Cedric hissed. "The police are closing off the house."

"Exactly! If we want to see what's going on, we're going to have to sneak in before they bar every entrance," I said.

Cedric rolled his eyes. "You're out of your mind."

"So why'd you come?" I asked.

"Perhaps because you do fascinate me," Cedric teased.

"I'm your girlfriend!" I gasped.

"Exactly."

I rolled my eyes as I grabbed onto him. "Come with me," I growled.

We didn't have time to stand here and argue about whether or not we were heading towards the Riddle House. We were going. Cedric groaned as the two of us snuck around the police line towards the back of the house. We were barely winding in and out of some of the police who were still trying to clear everyone out. I had to grab Cedric's hands a number of times to ensure that no one caught us. I was definitely better at sneaking around than he was. Eventually, we landed at the back door, which was already unsurprisingly locked.

"Okay. Game over. Let's head to the historian's house," Cedric said, trying to pull me away.

But I had already known that the back door would be locked. That was obvious enough. Now I just had to go to my backup plan - whatever that might be. "You give up so easily," I told him.

As I walked down the side of the yard, Cedric rolled his eyes again. "Now I see how you and your friends found the Chamber of Secrets," he huffed.

I turned back to him and grinned. "You have to admit. We're persistent."

"So I see."

As I paced the yard, I glanced up towards the second floor of the house. They wouldn't think that someone would be trying to enter from the second floor. Perhaps there was a chance that we could enter from up there. Not that I really knew how we were going to get up there. Neither one of us were old enough to do magic without getting the Ministry involved. But I supposed that would be a problem for another day. So I looked around for a while until I spotted just the slightest crack in one of the upstairs windows.

"That window up there," I said, pointing it out to Cedric. "It doesn't look like it's locked."

Cedric followed my gaze. "The window up on the second floor?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah."

"And how do we get up there, you suppose? Using the outdoor staircase?"

His voice held a teasing note. I rolled my eyes. "Don't be daft," I snapped. Cedric glared at me. "See the trellis over there?" Cedric glanced over and nodded slowly. "We're going to climb it." The moment that I said that Cedric ended up looking incredibly nervous. "Don't be worried. We have them at our houses in Little Whinging. It's how Harry and I always got into each other's houses in the middle of the night."

Cedric's head snapped over to me. "You two snuck into each other's houses in the middle of the night?" he asked.

I didn't miss the nervous tone to his voice. "Relax. We're best friends. That's it," I said reassuringly.

"Right... Conversation for another time, I suppose," he said slowly. More like a conversation that never needs to happen. "You do realize that the trellis only goes about halfway up that wall. How are we going to get into the window, genius?"

"Don't be rude," I teased. Cedric rolled his eyes. "I have a plan."

"Care to share it?" Cedric asked.

"I don't think that you want to hear it," I said honestly. "Come on!"

He paled slightly. It was obvious that Cedric didn't want to have to climb the trellis. I knew that it didn't look safe to climb the trellis. They never looked very stable and they felt even less so. The two of us wound our way to the far edge of the house where the trellis was positioned. It was just like the one at Harry's house. I placed my foot a few feet up and tested the trellis with a gentle tug. It bowed slightly but seemed otherwise stable. As long as I was fast, it would be no problem. I pulled myself up a few feet quickly before turning back to Cedric, who was still waiting below me.

"You coming?" I called down quietly.

"You're sure that this is safe?" Cedric asked, gently placing his hands on the trellis.

"It looks strong enough to support the both of us," I said, not wanting to tell him that I was slightly concerned that it might collapse. He placed his foot on the cross-section, but still looked very hesitant to climb. That was when it dawned on me. "Don't tell me that you're afraid of heights?"

Cedric looked slightly awkward. "Well, they're not my favorite thing in the world."

That was something that I hadn't known. "You're a Quidditch player!" I gasped.

"Yes, and I have a broom beneath me to keep me from free-falling," Cedric pointed out.

Well, that was a good enough point. "Come on. I'll protect you," I teased.

"Oh, shut up," Cedric scoffed.

He was so cute when he was terrified. I had never even known that he was afraid of heights. I would have never guessed that, with him being a Quidditch player and all. I giggled softly as Cedric hoisted himself up behind me. I could feel his hands closely following where I placed my feet as we climbed the trellis. I made my way to the top rather quickly as I hooked my leg over the edge of one of the balconies. With as much force as I could muster, I pushed myself into the out cove of one of the windows. Once I was safely tucked in, I turned back to see Cedric staring at me like I had lost it.

Maybe it was a little funny, seeing as I climbed the trellis like a monkey and managed to jam myself into the tiny out cove of the balcony. For one of the locked windows, of course. "Hurry up!" I hissed at Cedric.

"Where are we supposed to go, exactly?" Cedric asked breathlessly.

"Move through the windows to the one that's unlocked," I said.

They were just close enough that I would be able to stretch from one to the next to ensure that I wouldn't fall to the ground. "You've lost your mind," Cedric groaned.

"You do this or I will call you a wimp for the rest of your life," I teased.

"Alright... alright... a fall from here wouldn't kill me, right?" Cedric asked, still gazing at the ground.

"Just get over here!" I barked.

He was being such a baby. Of course, normally I would be terrified to do something stupid like this. Perhaps I was just being a little stupidly ballsy. It took a little while for Cedric and me to scoot through the windows and balconies. I had to stretch myself out so that I was doing a practical split, so it was a good thing that I was flexible. Cedric was very lucky that he was as tall as he was. My hands and fingers were getting a little torn up from grabbing at the stones on the house but it would be worth it as soon as I found out the truth.

It took about five minutes for me to get all the way to the unlocked window at the back of the house. I could have done it in about two minutes but I had to stay slow because of Cedric. He spent the entire time trying to grab onto me to ensure that he knew where to move next. He might have been the slightly better athlete, but he was clearly not used to doing stupid things like this. Which was a good thing because I didn't think that I could deal with two of me. But it all came with being Harry Potter's best friend.

Eventually, the two of us finally made it to the window in the back of the house. I tested it gently and found myself more than a little relieved to see that it was unlocked. I would have been pissed if I came all the way up here for nothing. I nudged the window open and glanced inside. There was no sign that anyone was in the house and there didn't seem to be anything out of place. So I threw myself over the sill and through the window. As I stumbled against the floor I grabbed onto Cedric's outstretched arm and pulled him inside. He hit the floor a lot harder than I had.

"You okay?" I asked, kneeling over him.

Cedric chuckled softly and sat up. "A little more of a crash landing than I would have liked, but I'm okay. Are you?"

"I'm good."

The two of us slowly pushed ourselves back to our feet. I glanced around the room, standing awkwardly near the window. "What now, genius?" Cedric asked teasingly.

"Look for something out of place," I answered.

"This house is ancient. That could be anything."

"Okay... Maybe not out of place. Go and see if you can find any sign that someone was here."

"Alright."

Slowly the two of us wandered through the house. The room that we were in looked like some type of sitting room. But I imagined that there were a number of those in the old place. We dashed through the upstairs for a while but I found nothing and neither did Cedric. No evidence that Voldemort or Wormtail had ever been here. I would have checked downstairs but I remembered that Frank Bryce had come upstairs when he'd overheard the voices. After nearly ten minutes I was still convinced that nothing was out of place.

"In that dream of yours, where were they?" Cedric asked.

"They were... they were... in some big chairs," I said dumbly.

Try saying something a little stupider, Tara. "The room that they were in. What did it look like?" Cedric clarified.

"Looked like it might have been a study or something like that," I said.

"Come on," Cedric goaded.

The two of us darted back into the hallway together. Cedric pulled us back down a different section of the home from the one that we had been in before. We wandered down past a few rooms before turning a corner that brought us back towards the main staircase in the center of the house. We passed each room slowly, glancing in, but there was nothing that looked like the room from my dream. Finally, Cedric spotted a room with the door slightly open. I hadn't been in it yet. Cedric reached his hand out, seemingly thinking the same thing that I was, and moved to push it open.

"Seriously?" I interrupted, reaching out to stop him. "You're going to go first?"

"Yes..." Cedric said hesitantly.

He was nervous. "Are you finally starting to believe me?"

"Hey now, I always believed you."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," I whispered.

Cedric smiled, keeping me behind him. "It's alright. Come on."

The two of us stood for a moment as Cedric grabbed my hand gently. A moment later Cedric pushed the door open a little more and slipped into the study. It was quiet on his end for a few moments before his head popped back out and he gave me the all clear. I let out a breath that I hadn't realized that I was holding as I slipped into the study. My heart was beating rapidly as I entered. On my first look of the old study, it seemed that there was nothing wrong with the place. It looked totally normal, much like the rest of the house.

The more that I looked around the study, the more that I realized that the room looked eerily familiar. It could have been because the room was just like every other study in a mansion that I had ever seen before. But it seemed so much different than the ones that I had seen before. There was something ominous about the room that I was in. I didn't remember much from the dream that I had had last night, but the room looked almost identical from what I could remember. Not that it looked very spectacular in the first place.

"Look like the place from your dream?" Cedric asked, standing at the dresser.

"I don't have a great memory from it, but from what I can tell it looks pretty much the same," I explained.

Cedric chuckled under his breath as he walked over to my side. "Well... if nothing else, at least we can be somewhere that I'm not terrified that your parents might walk in," he teased.

I snorted under my breath. "Look first, flirt later."

"Hang on."

As much as I would have loved to find out what the hell was going on here, I had to admit that it was nice to hang out with Cedric somewhere that I wasn't terrified that my parents might end up finding us. So I grinned as Cedric walked over towards me and wrapped his arm down around my waist. I giggled into his mouth as he pressed a small kiss against my lips. He gently stepped the two of us back into one of the cabinets behind us. The two of us remained locked together for a long time as I kissed him back until my eyes gently fluttered open and I spotted something very strange.

"Hey, look at that," I said against Cedric's mouth.

"What?" he asked, pulling away from me.

"The lamp."

"What about it?"

"The leftover oil," I said.

Sitting at the bottom of the oil-burning lamp was some leftover oil. It looked like someone had recently lit it and hadn't cleaned it out after they had used it. "That could have been from Frank Bryce when he came up here to check on the noise. He could have turned it on and gone snooping around. Died of a heart attack before he could put it out. Or maybe he saw something that spooked him and he took off," Cedric suggested.

But that wasn't right. I knew that it wasn't right. "No way. When I saw the nightmare, Voldemort murdered him when he had just stepped into the room. He would have been over there. No chance to actually turn on the light," I explained.

"Maybe he did just vanish, Tara. There's no body that they found. No evidence of foul play."

"How do you explain the leftover oil?"

Cedric was silent for a few moments. "I don't know. We broke into the house easily enough. I'm sure that other kids have too. It's a nice and somewhat creepy old place. It seems like teenagers would come in here all the time. It could have been one of them."

"Uh-uh. Look at this. This oil is fresh. A day, at the oldest."

"That doesn't prove that it was You-Know-Who."

"Of course not. I just..." I mumbled, trailing off.

He had to have been here. I just knew that he was here. It terrified me to the very core of my being but I knew that he had been here. "I believe you, Tara. I don't want to believe you, but I do," Cedric said, pressing his hands against my arms comfortingly. "All I'm saying is that it's worth looking at the other options. Maybe Frank Bryce just had it with living in Little Hangleton."

"Why? What would drive him out of a place like this?" I asked.

The town seemed to be a little boring but very quaint. A nice place to have a quiet life. "Maybe we should go ask the local historian. See what they know," Cedric suggested.

"It's just... my dream seemed so lifelike. Everything seemed like it really happened here. And... who else would have lit that oil?" I asked.

Something was wrong here. "The police," Cedric said.

"Why would they not use the lights? They're Muggles," I explained.

There was no way. Muggles would have used the lights. A wizard had lit the lamp. No way that kids knew how. "So you're convinced that it's You-Know-Who who used the oil lamp because he's not used to using electricity? He would use the oil lamp," Cedric reasoned.

"Come on!" I snapped, annoyed that he wasn't agreeing with me.

Although he had every right to doubt me. "It's a little far-fetched, Tara," Cedric said gently.

"It always seems like everything I think is far-fetched. But there's one thing. I'm always right!" I hissed.

Cedric put his hands up in a practically defensive position. I tried to calm myself down slightly. "Okay. I'm not saying you're wrong. Let's go and investigate," he offered.

At least he didn't just say that I was crazy and leave me to handle this by myself. He always came with me and listened when I had some batshit insane thing that I had to deal with. The two of us turned towards the door and headed to leave the room. At least we would be able to head downstairs and check what was going on down there. It would be much easier to also head out from the front door rather than the second-floor window. But just as we exited the study I heard the lock engage downstairs. We both jerked backward as someone entered the house.

We had to get out. Now. "Window! Window!" I hissed quietly.

The two of us dashed over. Cedric was about to push open the window before he stopped. "Wait!" he gasped, grabbing the back of my shirt.

"What?" I asked desperately.

It sounded like the Muggle police. We had to get out of here before they caught and arrested us. "There are police down there. If we try and sneak out, they're sure to see us," Cedric pointed out.

"Shit."

As I began panicking, desperate for a way out, Cedric stepped back and ran a hand over his face. "So this is what a day in the life of Tara Nox feels like..." he chuckled.

"You get used to it. Trust me."

"Got any brilliant plans now?"

"Umm..."

"Thought that I might have heard something upstairs," the voice of one of the police offers drifted from downstairs.

"Go and check it out," a second voice called.

"Okay," the first responded.

"They're coming," Cedric sang.

"I'm aware!" I barked.

Telling me that they were on their way wasn't exactly going to help me. I needed a plan and something that I could do incredibly fast. Something that didn't take any preparation. I was sent into a panic for a moment, trying to figure out what the best thing was to do. How could we actually manage this without getting caught and arrested? There wouldn't be many choices. Although I did know one way that I assumed that we could get into trouble without actually getting arrested. Act like we were just lovesick teenagers trying to escape their parents.

It seemed that it was always a trope being used in some Muggle movie. Hopefully, they knew what they were talking about. Because I was about to put it to the test. I grabbed Cedric by the shoulders suddenly and shoved him backward. He grunted as I pressed him back against the dresser in the far corner of the room and began to tug at the clothes that he was wearing. Make it look as real as possible... He seemed stunned at my actions but kissed me back anyways as his hands worked at the buttons on the middle of the long sleeved shirt that I was wearing.

The buttons were just about to slip off, letting the long-sleeved shirt fall from my frame when someone cleared their throat from behind us. I wasn't sure whether or not I was happy about being stopped. Either way, the two of us gently pulled away from each other. There were two police officers standing in the doorway, staring at the two of us. Cedric and I both blushed softly as we rearranged the clothes that we had started pulling off of each other. The officers looked in between fed up and laughing at the state of our dishevelment.

"Alright, kids. You're not as creative as you might think. Not the first couple that we've seen up here," the first officer said.

"Oh," I grunted awkwardly.

Cedric ran his hands through his hair. "We're sorry, Officer."

"How many times do we have to tell you, kids? Find someplace new to go," the first officer snapped.

They must have dealt with these kids a lot. "Your parents home?" the second officer asked, slightly nicer.

"Well -"

"Yes," I interrupted Cedric, knowing that we had to make it sound like we were just trying to get away from our parents. "Sorry about that. We were just..."

I trailed off, unwilling to say what I was lying about. "Relax. We aren't going to report you if you leave now," the first officer said. Was one of my plans finally actually working? "And promise us that you won't come back."

"We promise," Cedric and I said together.

"We catch you up here again and we will call your parents," the second officer warned.

"We understand," Cedric said.

"Get dressed and head out," the first officer said.

That was when I realized that when my shirt was unbuttoned and I had buttoned it back, it hadn't been corrected. It had been done with me missing a few of the buttons. Cedric and I exchanged a look and laughed awkwardly. Partially because we were acting for the cameras and partially because we were really embarrassed by what had just happened. The two of us rearranged our clothes and flattened out our hair. Once we were done the two officers escorted us downstairs. We were standing at the front door and about to leave their sight when Cedric spoke again.

"Thank you for understanding."

The two officers glanced at each other and laughed. "Ah. We were all kids. Take care, you two," the first officer said. We thanked him softly before stepping out onto the front walkway. "And take it slow!"

There was still a slight laugh in his voice. I couldn't believe that he had said something like that. Of course, he also thought that I was about to do... that... with Cedric. No way. We weren't nearly there yet. My face was burning desperately as the two of us headed down the road and into town together. We said nothing the entire time that we walked, even though I could tell that Cedric wanted to talk to me. But right now I couldn't even look Cedric in the eyes. I felt like a complete moron for what I had done. At least I had gotten us out of trouble.

Looking at Cedric only made me feel even more awkward. I knew that I had to think about something else. So my mind eventually drifted off to the knowledge that someone had indeed been in the house. I was sure of it. It was obvious from the leftover oil in the oil lamp. But there was one thing that didn't make sense. We had found no body. That was kind of the biggest problem. Was there a chance that Frank Bryce had really just run off? Could I have just been having nightmares only somewhat linked to reality? The entire thing made no sense.

My head was spinning and I was getting a headache. I had to think of something else. "Good acting back there," I finally told Cedric.

Why the hell did you say anything? Cedric glanced over at me and grinned. "Was that acting that we were doing? You're a better actress than I would have given you credit for," Cedric teased. But it was mortifying. I glanced up at him in surprise and felt my cheeks burning. He laughed softly. "I'm just teasing you."

"Don't do that!" I barked.

It was so damned awkward. "It was quick thinking. It really was. How'd you know to do that?" Cedric asked.

"Saw it in an old television show," I answered.

"So they are useful for something," Cedric said.

One of these days I was going to get him to enjoy Muggle television. We both laughed as I laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. You weren't a half-bad actor back there either," I said.

"Who said that I was acting?" Cedric asked.

He really needed to stop doing that. My face burned with embarrassment again. Those stupid damn teenage hormones were flaring up again. "Do you really think that Frank Bryce could have just run off?" I asked, trying to distract myself.

"Where would the body have gone?" Cedric pointed out.

They wouldn't have just left it laying around. They would have had to do something anyway. "They wouldn't want to draw suspicion to the house if they were hiding in it. If the locals thought that Frank had just run away there would only be a day or two of exploring the house. If they thought that he had died, it would have been a whole investigation. They wouldn't have been able to stay here," I explained.

"Could they have buried the body?" Cedric suggested.

It just seemed... wrong. Would Voldemort have even thought of that? Would he have cared? "Muggle police aren't that dumb. They'd be able to find the grave," I reasoned.

"How do you vanish a body?" Cedric asked.

"You don't," I answered.

As far as I was concerned, there was no way to vanish a body. I was sure that there must have been a way to do it but I was only fourteen. There was no way that I was going to find out. I would need some major help with that one. Perhaps someone else would know. If there was a chance that I wouldn't tip off one of my parents, maybe I would ask one of them. In the meantime, Cedric and I stood together, staring back at the house. The question remained mostly unanswered about Frank Bryce. Now I was stumped on what came next.

"Where next?" I asked Cedric.

He grabbed my hand and started pulling me back towards town. "Let's try that local historian's house. See what we can find out about our friend Frank Bryce," Cedric offered.

Before we could get too far, I grabbed his hand and pulled him back. "Wait a second." Cedric turned back and stared at me. "Thanks for helping me with this. I know that my life can get a little... overwhelming," I said dumbly.

Cedric grinned. "You think that I didn't know that when I asked you out? I know what your life is like. It's fascinating." We both laughed. "But I didn't ask you out with thought to your connection to You-Know-Who or your ability to attract trouble literally wherever you go - which is a gift in itself, honestly," he said. We both laughed again. It was a gift that very few people had. "I asked you out because I like you. You're funny, strong, smart, brave, and so loyal. And you're not half-bad looking."

At his last comment, I laughed again. "Thanks. I think I needed to hear you say that."

"I know."

"How about tomorrow we go on a normal date?" I offered. Cedric arched an eyebrow in surprise. "I can take you to the Muggle movies. I think you'll like it."

"Just a normal date? Sounds boring," he teased.

"I'll make it worth your while," I sang.

Cedric laughed all over again as my face burned brilliantly. One of these days I would learn to stop saying stupid things like that. I had really meant something like buying him popcorn or candy. The way he had taken it wasn't the way that I had meant it. Well... in a way, I had. I groaned softly as I dropped my head back. As I got a little bit older, navigating the relationship that I had with Cedric was becoming more difficult. Knowing what I could and couldn't do or say was getting tricky. For just a moment I wished that I could ask my mother about it. But that would mean spilling my secret.

"You know, that's - that's not what I -" I stuttered awkwardly.

None of my excuses were working very well. I stopped speaking as Cedric started laughing again "I look forward to it," he teased. As we walked I stumbled dumbly over the cobblestone streets. I was trying to think of another excuse when Cedric said, "In the meantime, I think we're here."

How did he manage to do things like that and never seem even slightly embarrassed? Had he done something like that before? No. That was a bad time to start thinking about that. My face was still on fire as the two of us headed up the steps to the historian's house. I didn't know what we were going to find here, but I hoped that it would be something. The two of us linked hands as we walked into what looked like the living room with Cedric still grinning at the stupefied look on my face. Just a moment later an older woman stepped out from the kitchen.

"Hello," the woman greeted sweetly.

"Hi," we both said.

We both smiled somewhat awkwardly. "It's nice to meet you," Cedric said.

The woman gave a small smile. "It's nice to meet the two of you as well. Always good to see some friendly faces. I've been busier today than I have in the past ten years. Must be all of the hubbubs in town. My name is Helen,"

"Tara."

"Cedric. Good to meet you."

He was as sweet as always. Helen gave us both the tiniest of smiles as she brought us over towards the dining room table. There were books and maps laid out all over it. "I assume that you'd like to know about the house?" Helen asked. We both nodded. "Had a lot of visitors asking about it today. Most people are too young to really remember the history behind it."

"Yes. Yes, please. What can you tell us about that house? The one that the Mu - man was just murdered in," I stammered awkwardly.

Helen's eyes widened. "Murder?" she asked loudly. I nodded dumbly. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say... "My dear, what would give you that idea? Old Frank Bryce just decided to run off. No signs of struggle, no breaking, and entering. Just an unfortunate set of circumstances, I fear. He was old and under a great deal of stress anyways. Who could be surprised?"

"A gardener under stress?" I asked, echoing what I had asked the older woman at the Riddle House.

"About the house, ma'am, if you don't mind," Cedric interrupted.

He was giving me a warning look as if to ask me to stop saying stupid things that might offend the Muggles. But it wasn't my fault that they never thought beyond the end of their noses. Helen motioned Cedric and I a little further into the house as we stood around the table. There were a few birth certificates laid out along with some photographs of the Riddle House in what appeared to be its heyday. Helen turned the lights on before pushing a picture towards us. It appeared to be the Riddle House a few decades ago, absolutely beautiful and magnificent.

"Well... we still call it 'the Riddle House,' even though it's been many years since the Riddle family lived there," Helen began. "As you can see, it stands on a hill overlooking the village, some of its windows boarded, tiles missing from its roof, and ivy spreading unchecked over its face. Once a fine-looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around, the Riddle House has long since been damp, derelict, and unoccupied.

"Half a century ago, something strange and horrible happened there, something the older inhabitants of the village still like to discuss when topics for gossip are scarce. The story's been picked over so many times, embroidered in so many places, that nobody's quite sure what the truth is anymore. Every version of the tale, however, starts in the same place: Fifty years ago, at daybreak on a fine summer's morning, when the Riddle House had still been well kept and impressive, a maid entered the drawing room to find all three Riddles dead," Helen explained.

That was enough to catch my attention. Someone had been murdered in the house? Why didn't that seem right to me? I had thought that this might have just been Voldemort's home. Of course, that didn't make sense. He had told Harry and I down in the Chamber of Secrets that he had been an orphan. So how would he have ever had this house? But still... who were those three Riddles? Fifty years ago... Would Tom Riddle have been a young man? But he hadn't been murdered... My head was throbbing with the onset of a stress headache.

"Three?" I asked Helen awkwardly.

"Yes, dear."

"Who?" I asked.

"The Riddle family, of course," Helen said suspiciously, clearly surprised that I didn't know who they were. "Tom and his parents, Thomas and Mary."

Okay, now I was definitely confused. Cedric and I exchanged another look. Clearly, neither one of us were completely sure of what that meant. I thought on it for a second, glad that Helen was giving us a little while to process the information. Tom Riddle had never been murdered. Harry was the one that had drained his power. The timing didn't work out either. Fifty years ago, Tom Riddle would have been in his teens. Right? But then I remembered something that Riddle had told us down in the Chamber of Secrets. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever?

"The maid had run screaming down the hill into the village and roused as many people as she could. 'Lying there with their eyes wide open! Cold as ice! Still in their dinner things!' she screamed," Helen continued.

"The police were summoned, and the whole of Little Hangleton seethed with shocked curiosity and ill-disguised excitement. Nobody wasted their breath pretending to feel very sad about the Riddles, for they had been most unpopular. They had been rich, snobbish, and rude, and their grown-up son, Tom, had been if anything, worse." I could definitely see Voldemort being that way. He had gotten it from his father. "All the villagers cared about was the identity of their murderer - for plainly, three apparently healthy people did not all drop dead of natural causes on the same night.

"The Hanged Man, the village pub, did a roaring trade that night; the whole village seemed to have turned out to discuss the murders. They were rewarded for leaving their firesides when the Riddles' cook arrived dramatically in their midst and announced to the suddenly silent pub that a man called Frank Bryce had just been arrested.

"Frank Bryce was the Riddles' gardener. He lived alone in a rundown cottage on the grounds of the Riddle House. Frank had come back from the war with a very stiff leg and a great dislike of crowds and loud noises and had been working for the Riddles ever since. Many thought that he was odd. Wasn't very friendly, you see. And he was one of the few people with complete access to the Riddle House.

"All night they talked about the many shortcomings that Frank had. By the following morning, hardly anyone in Little Hangleton doubted that Frank Bryce had killed the Riddles. But over in Great Hangleton, Frank was stubbornly repeating, again and again, that he was innocent, and that the only person he had seen near the house on the day of the Riddles' deaths had been a teenage boy, a stranger, dark-haired and pale. Nobody else in the village had seen any such boy, and the police were quite sure that Frank had invented him," Helen explained.

That was enough to make me snap to attention. Not that I hadn't been paying much attention before. But I realized something now. Voldemort hated his father. What if he had murdered him? And his own grandparents... Maybe. But there was something else that I was thinking of. She had said that there was a dark-haired and pale teenager. Just like Harry. Just like the boy that we had met down in the Chamber of Secrets. Was there a chance that Voldemort could have killed his father and grandparents as a teenager? Twisted, but possible.

"Then, just when things were looking very serious for Frank, the report on the Riddles' bodies came back and changed everything," Helen continued.

"Yes?" Cedric asked, very interested now.

"The police had never read an odder report. A team of doctors had examined the bodies and had concluded that none of the Riddles had been poisoned, stabbed, shot, strangled, suffocated, or (as far as they could tell) harmed at all. In fact, the Riddles all appeared to be in perfect health - apart from the fact that they were all dead. The doctors did note that each of the Riddles had a look of terror upon his or her face - but as the frustrated police said, whoever heard of three people being frightened to death?

"As there was no proof that the Riddles had been murdered at all, the police were forced to let Frank go. Which frustrated them greatly, I should add. The Riddles were buried in the Little Hangleton churchyard, and their graves remained objects of curiosity for a while. To everyone's surprise, and amid a cloud of suspicion, Frank Bryce returned to his cottage on the grounds of the Riddle House.

"But Frank did not just pack up his things and leave. He stayed to tend the garden for the next family who lived in the Riddle House, and then the next - for neither family stayed long. Perhaps it was partly because of Frank that the new owners said there was a nasty feeling about the place, which, in the absence of inhabitants, started to fall into disrepair.

"The wealthy man who owns the Riddle House now has neither lived there nor put it to any use for the past few decades; he says that he keeps it for tax reasons. Since owning it, he has continued to pay Frank to do the gardening, however. Just around this time, Frank was nearing his seventy-seventh birthday, very deaf, his bad leg stiffer than ever, but could be seen pottering around the flower beds in fine weather, even though the weeds were starting to creep up on him, try as he might suppress them. The house simply needed occupants.

"Weeds were not the only things Frank had to contend with. Boys from the village made a habit of throwing stones through the windows of the Riddle House. They rode their bicycles over the lawns Frank worked so hard to keep smooth. Once or twice, they broke into the old house for a dare. They knew that old Frank's devotion to the house and grounds amounted almost to an obsession, and it amused them to see him limping across the garden, brandishing his stick and yelling croakily at them. Frank, for his part, believed the boys tormented him because they, like their parents and grandparents, thought him a murderer," Helen finished.

It sounded like it could have been completely normal. Maybe a man who was just sick of having teenagers ruining his hard work after he had been obviously wrongly accused of murder. The Muggles would have never known that Voldemort - the greatest Dark Wizard of all time - had really been the one to murder him. If I didn't know about Voldemort, I would have thought that he had just up and vanished too. But it couldn't have been that. I was so damn positive that Voldemort had done something to Frank Bryce. I just wasn't sure what it was.

"And no one ever found proof of that teenage boy?" Cedric finally asked.

"Frank could have easily just mistaken him. Likely just a local boy," Helen explained.

What was the next step? I supposed trying to get the exact timeline, which meant seeing the headstones. "Could you point us towards the churchyard where the Riddle's are buried?" I asked as innocently as possible.

Helen looked at me curiously. "History buff, are you?"

"Writing a paper," I said.

Helen nodded and turned back towards the main road that we had come up. "Just a ways up the road, as a matter of fact," she said.

"Thanks," I said.

Cedric and I shook Helen's hand and thanked her for her time before heading out back onto the street. We turned towards the churchyard and headed off together. "What do you think?" Cedric asked me.

If only I knew what the hell I was thinking... Unfortunately, I didn't. Right now it was just guessing and trying to put together the pieces. "Voldemort told us something in the Chamber of Secrets. He said 'You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever?'" I explained. Cedric nodded confusedly. "His birth name is Tom Riddle."

The realization dawned in Cedric's eyes. "So the Riddles who were murdered would be his father and grandparents?" he asked.

"Seems so."

"I know You-Know-Who was completely evil, but do you really think that he would murder his own family?"

"Yeah, I do. He hated his father."

We were talking about a man who had attempted to murder an infant. "Why?" Cedric asked.

"Just because he was a Muggle?" I offered. "I don't know."

"What do you think the graveyard will tell us?"

"Maybe the dates that they were born and died so I can verify the timeline on his family. I'm not sure. But I have a... gut feeling that it's going to tell me something," I said as reasonably as possible.

"Okay."

As the two of us wandered down the road towards the eerie graveyard, I started poking at Cedric's shoulders. "You can wait here if you're scared," I teased.

Cedric rolled his eyes and shoved me. "Hah-hah. Aren't you the one that's easily scared?"

"I think we've had three years to prove that I'm not easily scared," I reasoned.

It was the truth. Heading into the dungeons to battle Voldemort, almost getting slaughtered by a Basilisk, and facing down a criminal madman. I certainly didn't scare easily. Cedric laughed as he darted after me to try and grab at my sides to startle me. I jumped slightly at his touch and merely ended up laughing as I tried to run away from him. He latched onto my waist and grabbed me, throwing me around while keeping a grip on me. I merely laughed madly as he spun me around. He threw me back in front of himself and was about to kiss me when a cough came from behind us.

"Alright, you two," the first police officer from the Riddle House called from behind us. I gasped and jumped around to face him. "We warned you to head back home."

"We - We were just..." I stuttered awkwardly.

How the hell was I supposed to say this one? The police already thought that we were trying to head off somewhere to hook up with each other. "Heading over into the graveyard?" the second officer asked. Damn. "That's an interesting place for a rendezvous. A supposedly haunted house and a graveyard. Go home. Both of you, before we do call your parents."

"No! No!" I gasped. Get a damned excuse going! "I have family resting there."

"Oh, yeah? Who?" the first officer asked.

"The Riddles," I spit out suddenly.

The two officers glanced at each other and shook their heads. "Riddles had no family, sweetheart," the first officer said. That's what you think. "Go home. Now."

"We're not asking again," the second officer said.

"But -"

"Tara, come on," Cedric interrupted me.

"Don't come back, you hear?"

"But -

"Tara. Come on. Time to go," Cedric warned.

"Listen to him," the second officer said.

There was just that one thing that I wanted to do. Oh, well. I could find another way into the graveyard. Where there was a will, there was a way. "Alright..." I mumbled, trying to look dejected. Cedric grabbed my hand as the two of us turned and walked off together away from the officers, who were clearly watching us to ensure that we didn't pull something else. "Think there's a way to sneak around the back?"

Cedric's head snapped around to look at me. "Are you kidding?"

"You give up so easily," I scoffed.

"Now I see how you and your friends find out these things. You just never quit," Cedric laughed.

That was definitely how we figured everything out. "Pretty much," I said honestly.

Cedric rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand. "Come on. It's getting late and we've found out a lot today." I opened my mouth to argue when he spoke over me. "You know that we have. You should tell Professor Dumbledore. He might be able to give you more insight than the Muggles could. In the meantime, we saw no real proof that You-Know-Who was ever here," Cedric explained.

He was right. There was nothing that I could go on past that one little bit of leftover oil we had seen. That wasn't nearly enough to prove that he had ever been here. "That's what I wanted to go to the graveyard for," I mumbled.

"Leave it to the adults. For my sanity, please," Cedric begged.

"Okay. Ready to go?" I asked sadly.

Perhaps we had figured some things out today. But we hadn't figured out enough. "Probably should. It's getting close to dinner," Cedric said.

"Maybe I can come back at some point."

"Do you honestly think that's a good idea?"

"I think that I want to know about Frank Bryce and what happened to him," I said.

Even if it was a bad idea, I needed to know what had happened to Voldemort and Frank Bryce here in Little Hangleton. I had a feeling that there was something terrible coming and it was all tied here. As we walked off and back into the town, we wound in and out of all of the people heading back to the bookstore. We walked into the store - which was thankfully abandoned - and headed towards the fireplace in the back of the store. I could see the owner of the store getting ready to head and see if we needed any help.

"Distract her for a second," I told Cedric.

He wandered a few shelves down and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, miss!" The woman turned and headed back towards his voice as Cedric darted over to me at the fireplace. "Run!"

We darted into the fireplace as I pulled out some Floo powder, getting ready to throw it down into the fireplace. "Hurry up!" I hissed. A second later Cedric toppled into the fireplace with me and I threw down the ashes. "Flourish and Blotts!"

The green flames shot up around us just seconds before the woman came to check on us. She'd been confused for a few minutes, but it was better than us getting caught. We were sucked through the grates for a little while and into the tunnel of the Floo network before getting spit out into the fireplace of Flourish and Blotts. Some of the customers smiled and moved off to the sides so that we could move into the store. Out of breath from the stressful trip back, Cedric and I took a few deep breaths as we moved off towards the alley.

As we headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron, something new dawned on me. It was a little gross and morbid to think about but it could have been right. "Are snakes carnivorous?" I asked Cedric suddenly.

Cedric's head snapped over. "Are you joking?" he asked slowly.

"No."

"You're a Parselmouth!"

"So? I don't actually like snakes!"

Cedric grinned at my momentary stupidly. "Yes, Tara. I'm pretty sure that snakes are carnivorous. They eat rats and rodents like that for the most part," Cedric explained. It made sense. It could have made sense, at least. "Why?"

It was a really repulsive thing to be thinking about, but it could have been the reason that there was no body. "What if the reason that Frank Bryce's body wasn't found was because someone, or something, ate him?" I asked. Cedric stared at me like I had lost my mind. "There was a giant snake in my dream! Voldemort called it Nagini. What if Nagini ate the remains of Frank Bryce?"

Cedric was silent for a little while, pushing the hair back off of his forehead. "That's really stretching, Tara."

"I know it is," I admitted. "But -"

"You're desperate for an answer," Cedric interrupted, not unkindly. Of course, I was, but that didn't mean that I was wrong. "I understand. But this isn't something that you're going to find out on your own. I can only help you so much. If you want any real answers, I think you're going to have to go to someone a little more powerful than either one of us."

I groaned and dropped my head into his shoulder. "Why do you have to be so reasonable?" I growled.

"One of us has to be," Cedric teased.

I smiled at him. "Thanks for sticking with me today."

"You're welcome. Thanks for not doing anything too insane. And a big thank you for what you did in the Riddle House," he teased.

My face started burning stupidly all over again. "Stop!" I hissed. He really had to quit doing that. I laughed softly as I decided to mess back with him. "Actually... you're going to have to remind me of what that was."

Cedric grinned. "Oh, with pleasure."

Every now and again I knew enough to just stop blushing and mess with him. So I laughed softly - as did Cedric - as he gently pushed me back against the wood paneling of the Leaky Cauldron. We were standing just outside of the building, just outside the main alley. He pressed me back as he leaned down and gave me a lingering kiss. His hands came up to wind into my windblown hair as mine reached around his waist to rest in his back pockets. I could feel him grinning against my mouth. Even I was the slightest bit surprised at my actions. It was a little bolder than normal.

Eventually, Cedric reached down and gripped almost painfully at my hips. But I didn't really mind. His hands came around to rest against the skin just underneath my shirt. I laughed softly against his mouth, causing some of the passerby to begin laughing at the two of us. But I didn't really care what they all thought. It was safer out here than it was in my house where my parents could see the two of us anyways. I didn't have to worry. Of course, no sooner had I thought that when there was the slightest cough behind us.

For a moment I thought that we might have been blocking someone's way. But it was something much, much, worse. "Hello, Tara," Mom said, her lips pulled into a tight line.

"Cedric," Dad said, looking like he was about to murder both of us.

"Oh my god," I breathed, horrified.

Mom and Dad exchanged a look, very tense and dangerous. "I didn't think it had been that long since we'd seen Hermione. She looks quite a bit different, don't you agree?" Dad asked Mom tersely.

"Let me explain -" I started.

"What a wonderful idea," Mom growled.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I tried to think of anything to say. An excuse, an apology, or even just explaining the entire truth. But I couldn't think of what I was supposed to say. What the hell could I say right now that wouldn't make my parents want to kill me? Actually, there probably wasn't anything that I could say. But I could at least try something. More than just sitting here staring at them like a mute. But I couldn't force the words out of my throat. They were all getting tangled together and trapped on my tongue.

"Please, Mr. and Mrs. Nox, it's not Tara's fault," Cedric started. "I wanted to -"

"He's lying," I interrupted. I didn't want him to have to take the fall for something that I had asked him to do. "Trying to make himself look like the bad guy. It was me."

Both Mom and Dad scoffed at my pathetic explanation. "I don't think either one of you looks very good right now. I don't even know which one of you to believe, since you're both clearly very talented liars," Dad hissed angrily.

"Dad -"

"Don't talk right now," Mom interrupted harshly. "We're going home. Come on."

"But -"

"Now!" Mom shouted.

I jumped slightly but set my mouth into a thin line. "Hang on a second, I know that I -"

"Get over here," Dad growled.

How was this even remotely fair? "Hear me out!" I yelled.

"Absolutely not! We're going home. Now," Dad snarled.

"Go on, I'll write you," Cedric said.

He placed a hand on the bottom of my back and gently pushed me forward. But I didn't want to go yet. I needed to try and explain. "No, Cedric. I don't think that's a very good idea. I think you two need to be spending some time apart," Mom said, as nicely as I could imagine that she was capable of right now. "Since you've clearly already spent a lot of time together. Who knows how much? Certainly not us."

There was the nastier side of her personality. "Hey, that's not -"

"We're leaving. Now," Dad interrupted me again.

"No! Let me explain, at least," I tried.

Two minutes. That was all that I needed. "I would love for you to do that. At home!" Mom yelled.

Her voice cracked slightly. "Get the hell over here," Dad growled.

It was one of the rare times that he cursed at me. "Please, Mr. and Mrs. Nox -" Cedric started.

But Mom held up her hand to get Cedric to stop talking. "Despite everything, I do appreciate you trying to take the fall for what's happened here," Mom told Cedric. I sighed softly. Why couldn't they just give the two of us a chance to explain things? "I'm absolutely positive that this was Tara's idea. Not wanting to tell us because she thought that we wouldn't approve."

"Look at how right I was..." I muttered, knowing that it wouldn't make things better.

And I was right. "Because you said nothing! Because we had to walk in on the two of you," Mom snapped. I really shouldn't have said that. It was the wrong time for me to try and have the attitude that I normally did. "Now is not the right time for all of us to talk. That'll come later. In the meantime, Cedric, please go home."

"Alright. I'm truly very sorry," Cedric said quietly.

"We know. Head home," Mom said softly.

Unlike normally, Mom and Dad didn't move to give Cedric a hug or handshake. They merely let him walk off. "Have a good evening. All of you. Again, I'm so sorry about this," Cedric said gently.

"Sorry, Cedric," I mumbled.

He was almost an adult and being treated like a little kid. "It's okay," Cedric said, smiling politely.

For a moment it looked like he might have moved forward to kiss me or even hug me. But he didn't and that was probably the right choice for the moment. Cedric gave us all a polite wave before turning to walk off. I knew that it was time for me to deal with my parents. Cedric and I would come later. I turned back to stare at my parents. They looked absolutely furious with me. Not that I was any less upset with them. To my surprise, Dad grabbed me around the arm and began dragging me towards the fireplace in the tavern. I grunted as I stumbled over myself.

"Hang on a damn minute," I hissed irritably.

We could get back home without them practically throwing me in the fireplace. "Watch your mouth," Dad warned.

"Get in. Now," Mom snapped, motioning towards the fireplace. I walked in, wishing that I hadn't been stupid enough to kiss Cedric right out in the open. Mom grabbed some Floo powder and threw it down around us. "Number Five, Privet Drive."

As much as I wanted to throw myself out of the fireplace to run away from them, I knew that it would have been the wrong choice. So I watched as the flames whooshed up around us and we were thrown back to our house. I noticed that there were waffles already set out for dinner. The slightest guilt-wracked through me. It didn't take me more than a few seconds to know that we wouldn't be eating those tonight. I planned on heading upstairs to bed when my parents headed me off, instead motioning me over to the couch for a conversation.

It could have been hours that passed while the three of us just sat there in silence. Sometimes we would look down at the ground and other times we would all stare at each other. No one opened their mouth for a while because no one knew what to say. My father looked absolutely beside himself with anger over my actions. I had always known that he would be the angriest. My mother also looked quite upset with me but just the slightest bit more level-headed than he was. Eventually, Dad looked up, obviously trying to hold his anger in.

"How long?" Dad asked, his voice shaking. "Try and be honest, as difficult as that may be."

We didn't really have an exact date. Not since we had gone on little dates before anyone else had known about the two of us. "Since... I don't know. Around my last birthday?" I offered.

That was when we'd shared our first kiss with each other, at least. "Ten months?" Dad growled. I nodded awkwardly. "Ten months and you just now say something? Not even, the two of us had to find the two of you... When you should have been out with Hermione! Were you with him all day?"

"Yeah."

There was no point in lying now. "And in the past few weeks? When you went out with friends, how many times was it him?" Dad asked.

"A lot."

Dad hopped off of the couch, pressing his head into his hands. "Oh my..."

"You said to be honest!" I yelped.

"The two of you have been in this house together! With neither one of us home!" Mom gasped.

Did they really think that I was that horrible of a person? I was only fourteen! That was going to take some time for the two of us to get there. "Merlin! How terrible do you honestly think that I am?" I asked sharply.

For some reason, their insinuation that I would do that genuinely offended me. "How clueless can you be?" Mom scoffed.

"You know Cedric! You know he's a nice guy!"

"Evidently we don't," Dad said.

Apparently, I was going to have to say it. "We've never done... that!" I shouted.

"Oh, well that's a relief!" Dad hissed.

A lump formed in my throat the same way that it always did when I was about to cry. I tried to sniffle back the tears. "You really honestly don't trust me?" I asked. They exchanged a disbelieving look. Perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say. Of course, they didn't trust me. "Look, I know that I shouldn't have lied. I only did that because I was afraid of the way that the two of you would react. And it looks like my fears were justified. I was trying to find a way to ease myself into the conversation."

Again the two of them stared at each other. Mom eventually turned back to me with a little frown. "Here I thought that you were mature for your age," Mom said. I raised a brow in question. "But it's that attitude right there. This was easier for you. You should have told us the truth from the beginning, no matter how you thought that we would react. That's called being an adult, Tara. We could have had a real conversation about it. Now we get to yell at each other because no one got eased into it."

A childish anger shot through me. So I began yelling something that I knew would make things no better. "What's the big deal? So what? We're dating. Everyone dates!" I snapped.

"Since you were at the beginning of your Third Year? Not that early!" Dad yelled back.

"Oh, that's a damn lie!"

"Language!" Mom gasped.

Turned out that lying ran in the family. "I know that it is! I talked to Sirius and Remus about what the two of you were like in school. Everyone knew that the two of you had liked each other since your First Year. They told me that the two of you started casually dating in Third Year, the same time that I did. And I'm older than most of the kids in my year! I was fourteen! How does that seem fair?" I yelled.

They were very clearly just as big of liars as I was. "Casually dating, Tara. Going out on trips to Hogsmeade. Not swallowing each other's tongues in Diagon Alley when you should have been out with your best friend," Dad said harshly.

That seemed to set even Mom off. "Marcus -"

"That is not what I was doing," I interrupted.

"Could have fooled me!" Dad yelled back.

One stupid mistake was easily going to end up ruining the rest of my summer. "Would you stop? Okay, I'm sorry! I should have never kept it from you! I should have said something the moment that it happened but I was afraid. It was my mistake," I admitted.

"It was a massive mistake. Do you know how little trust we have in you right now?" Dad shot back.

"Because I didn't tell you that I was dating Cedric?" I asked. "Isn't that a little -?"

"You two are not going to be together. Not over the summer," Mom interrupted.

It felt like she had just whacked me over the head with a hammer. "Excuse me?" I asked stupidly.

Mom let out a soft breath, clearly trying to keep us all from shouting at each other, which was definitely the next step. "Tara... We both like Cedric. He's a good boy. At least, we thought that he was. But he's too old for you and you know that," Mom said, echoing the thoughts that I had once had about the two of us. "He's two years older than you and likely at a different point in his life."

"Shouldn't this be my choice to make? Let me just enjoy being with him while the two of us are in the castle together and -" I cut myself off. That was when I realized what they were really upset about. Not just the age gap or the fact that he was leaving Hogwarts soon. They were concerned about what he would want physically. "You didn't mean just the age gap."

"No. We don't," Dad said blankly.

They really thought that I was going to do something like that or that Cedric would force it. He was so much better than they thought that he was. "Look, you walked in on a kiss. That's it. That's all that's happened. That's all that's going to happen," I said firmly.

"We shouldn't have even had to walk in on that! And it looked like a little bit more than a kiss," Dad barked.

We were out in public, damn it. It hadn't been that serious. "Looks can be deceiving. Why am I getting yelled at? The two of you were dating when you were my age! Did you tell your parents?" I asked sharply.

Just like I had expected, the two of them exchanged a tense look with each other. I knew that they hadn't told my grandparents about their dating experience when they were my age. "No, and now that we're older, we realize that it was a mistake," Mom said. I scoffed. Hypocritical. "But neither one of us were that serious with our significant others when we were your age, as you and Cedric clearly are."

"Were," Dad corrected.

"Don't you see the hypocrisy in this?" I asked rudely.

"Don't you dare get an attitude right now," Mom snapped.

"Okay, you know what, I've had it with this," I huffed.

It was definitely the wrong choice of words, but I didn't care. It would be better to talk later, once we had all calmed down. I stood from the couch and turned towards the stairs. "Get back here," Dad growled.

An irrational and stupid anger shot through me. "It's late, I'm tired, I'm going to bed! If you'd like to shout at me and call me a horrible child a little longer, I'm sure that it can wait until tomorrow," I snapped.

"Tara!" Dad shouted.

But I wasn't coming back. Not right now. I turned and headed to the stairs as Mom kept Dad from getting up and coming after me. "Let her go. Let's just everyone calm down. We can have a discussion in the morning," she told him quietly.

We were not going to have a conversation about this. Not right now. Not for a long while. Perhaps once they realized that I wasn't being that awful. Proving their point that I was being childish, I went stomping up the stairs anyways, completely infuriated by my parents. They had done the exact same things that I had, if not even worse things. They were just like me, yet I was still getting in trouble for it. As I entered my room, I went to throw myself onto the bed when I saw that Harry was hanging out of his window, obviously waiting for me.

I walked over to the window and pushed it open, seating myself on the edge of the windowsill. "Hi," I greeted quietly.

"What's going on over there? We could hear you yelling over here. Did they find out about Little Hangleton? Did you go?" Harry asked, all in one breath.

"They found out all right," I mumbled.

"About Little Hangleton?"

"Nope. Ran into Cedric on my way."

That was all that I needed to say. Harry's face fell. "Oh, no. Tara..." Harry started sadly.

"Yeah. They're definitely not happy with me."

"That's what all that shouting was, then?"

"All of us yelling at each other."

"Tara, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It was my own fault."

Unfortunately, it really had been my fault. I was an idiot about the entire thing. I should have said something a long time ago about the two of us. I should have just gotten over my fear of what they were going to do to me and told them the truth. And I knew that I was being a child about the entire thing and proving their point that I wasn't mature. But I couldn't stop. I was so furious that they had done the same thing that I had when they were kids and now they were lecturing me about it. I really liked Cedric. I wanted to be with him. Why couldn't they understand that?

"What happened?" Harry asked after a long silence.

"We were in Diagon Alley. We had just come back from Little Hangleton. We were on our way to The Leaky Cauldron to use the fireplace for us to head back home and we stopped for a kiss that got a little heated. They walked right into it. Couldn't exactly explain my way out of that one," I explained.

"Were they willing to listen?" Harry asked.

"No. They mostly shouted at me. They're angry that I lied," I said.

"You knew that they would be," Harry pointed out.

That didn't change the fact that waiting this long had only made things worse. "Not this angry. I thought that they'd at least listen. Of course, I also thought that it would come out in a conversation. Not when they were watching us all over each other in the middle of Diagon Alley," I said, ignoring Harry's slight twitch.

He would never like the two of us together. But at least he didn't yell at me for it. "Maybe it's better this way. At least it's out in the open," Harry said.

"Feels like they're never going to trust me again."

"They will, Tara. It'll take some time but eventually, they'll realize that you're just a kid. And kids make stupid choices sometimes."

"Thanks. I can't believe that I was that stupid," I huffed at myself.

Harry shook his head. "Careless is probably a better word. You're not an idiot, Tara," Harry said. I smiled weakly. He was right about that much. "I love you. Your parents love you, believe it or not. We all care about you."

"Thanks," I said.

"How'd Cedric handle it?" Harry asked.

At some point, I would have to get back in touch with him and apologize. I wished that I had a phone to call him with. "Surprisingly well. He tried to take the blame but my parents are smart enough to know that I was the one who wanted to feed the lie. They ordered him to leave me alone and not talk to me for a while, which feels really stupid. He's my boyfriend and we've been together for months and now my parents are getting involved and ordering me not to talk to him. Like a little kid," I complained.

Harry looked a little bit happy to know that Cedric had tried to take the blame. "Knowing Diggory, he'll get over it. He'll be patient and wait for you to be able to talk to him," Harry reasoned.

Only for so long before someone else - Cho Chang - found out and stepped in. "He's almost seventeen. Think he's gonna get tired of having a girlfriend whose parents still treat her like she's five?" I asked sadly.

"I think he cares about you too much," Harry said.

"Guess I needed to hear that right now," I said gratefully.

"I know. Just relax, Tara. Give it some time. Remember, we'll be back to Hogwarts soon," Harry said.

At least the two of us would be able to be together freely at Hogwarts. "If my parents don't decide that I'm not trustworthy enough to send me somewhere that they can't keep an eye on me," I half-joked.

Harry laughed. But I was being reasonably honest. I wouldn't be surprised at all if my parents tried to get me homeschooled for the next two years while Cedric was still in school. At least, Dad would try and do that. The whole thing was going to be a huge problem. I wasn't sure whether or not I could trust my parents to not start telling all of the professors at Hogwarts to keep the two of us away from each other. I sighed and laid back against the window, watching the clouds move over the moon, Harry watching my expression closely.

"Whose owl is that?" Harry said suddenly.

My gaze turned into the distance. It was a barn owl heading straight towards me. "I don't know," I said quietly. The owl landed in front of me and dropped a letter, climbing into the room and heading over to Dai's cage. He glared but allowed the new owl to take some water. I opened the letter and glanced down at it. "It's from Cedric."

"You should answer that," Harry said, withdrawing into his room slightly. "I'll see you in the morning. Come over if you need to talk. Or even if you just need to get out of the house for a little while."

"Thanks, Harry. Goodnight," I called.

"Night, Tara. Try to remember that your parents love you," Harry said.

Perhaps in a little while, once we were all calmer. "Yeah, I know," I mumbled.

One day I might thank them for what they were doing right now. But I was a kid and I was allowed to be a little bit pissed off right now. The two of us waved at each other as we both withdrew into our respective rooms to head back to bed. I closed the blinds behind me and settled down on the edge of my bed. I checked to make sure that my parents were asleep - quickly pressing my ear to their wall and not getting any noise - before locking the door and opening up the letter fully. It looked like it had been written very quickly and in a slightly panicked hand.

 _Tara,_

 _I probably shouldn't be sending you this letter. I'm hoping that by using one of the owls from the post office, your parents won't notice. Here's hoping I sent him late enough so that they would be in bed. At least, that's what I'm hoping happens. The last thing that I want is for you to get in even more trouble. But I wanted to send you this letter._

 _I'm really sorry about what happened out in Diagon Alley today. I should have been paying attention. We've been so careful up until today, so I guess it made sense that today was the day that we got caught._

 _How are things back at home? How angry are your parents? Think they'll ever like me again?_

 _Don't worry about them ever liking you again. They love you a lot. We both knew that they wouldn't be happy when they found out and I suppose that finding out like this made it even worse. But the shock will wear off in time. Right now everyone's going to be mad at each other for a while. But they'll eventually realize that, while you made a mistake, you've recognized that and never meant to hurt them. Just look for the silver lining. At least telling them is out of the way._

 _I'll try to keep it short. We'll see each other again soon enough. In a few days, we'll both be at the Quidditch World Cup. It might be a little awkward at first, but hopefully, your parents will see that I really care for you. And we'll be back at Hogwarts soon enough. Perhaps by next summer they'll be used to the idea._

 _Keep smiling. Worse things have happened._

 _See you at the World Cup,_  
 _Cedric._

For the first time since getting caught earlier today, I found myself smiling slightly. Mostly because he sounded more embarrassed than upset about what had happened. Plus I really liked that he was apparently still thinking that the two of us would be together a year from now. It seemed like it was going to be so far from now. But it was just the slightest bit relieving to know that he wasn't planning on ending our relationship any time soon. Not even after my insane parents interrupted us. I reached over to bring out a blank piece of parchment and I began to scrawl on it.

 _Cedric,_

 _Thanks for the letter. My parents are, needless to say, furious with me. The two of us, I guess, but mostly me. I'll try to keep this letter short. It's been a long day and I'll see you soon enough for the Quidditch World Cup. If they even trust me enough to go, that is. We'll see. I'm sure as hell not staying away from it. I haven't seen a World Cup game in years. I'm not missing this one just because they're a little mad at me._

 _I can't believe that we finally got caught. I really thought that we were being careful. I guess that's my lesson to never kiss you anywhere public. Thanks for sending the letter. Sorry if I got you in trouble or if you felt awkward. They're never like that. They'll like you again eventually, trust me. You're pretty tough not to like. Once they realize that I'm not two and they can't treat me that way forever, they'll get over it. For now, I guess the best thing to do is for the two of us to stay away from each other. In front of them, anyway._

 _As you said, I think it's just the shock that's upsetting them right now. Eventually, they'll realize that it really isn't that bad. It just might take a little while. For now, I'll just try and avoid them. It'll be better than shouting at each other as we all are right now. You're right, they know now, at least. But it definitely wasn't the way that I wanted them to find out. It would have been better for me to just get it out of the way and tell them. I know that now. Damn you, I know that now and you were the one that suggested to me in the first place that I tell them. You were right. Jackass._

 _That's true, the Quidditch World Cup is coming up and I'll definitely see you there. No way in hell that my parents are going to keep me from going. Maybe we can slip away for a little while, huh? I know, I know. I'm a bad influence. But so are you! See you in a few days._

 _Are you joking, by the way? I'll be thirty and they'll never be able to understand that I'm going to date._

 _There's always something to smile about, right?_

 _Love always,_  
 _Tara._

I folded the letter up before handing it off to the barn owl. It took it with the smallest hoot. "Bring this back to Cedric, yeah?" I asked the little owl quietly.

The owl let out another soft hoot before heading over to the window. I opened it just long enough to let the owl head out. Once it had gone I closed the window and let out a soft breath, dropping back onto the bed. My parents were definitely going to hate me forever for what I had done. Maybe not hate me, but definitely not be happy with me for a while. Honestly, right now, I really didn't care. I just liked being with Cedric. Maybe one day they would forgive me. I knew that it was a dangerous move, but I wasn't planning on stopping seeing him anytime soon.

 **A/N: _Next time..._** _Tara receives an invitation from the Weasley's that should send her spirits soaring, but the discovery of her secret is causing her a new set of problems._ Did we expect Tara's parents reaction to be the way that it was? Fun fact: the way that Tara and Cedric's relationship was discovered and the way that it was handled by her parents is very similar to what happened with my first relationship. You know what they say, write what you know! Thanks for the follows and favorites! **It's my birthday present to you all, it's my birthday today! Please review!** Until next time -A

 **stephanielau: Yes, it's definitely going to be very long. But I intended for it to be long since it will incorporate all seven of the novels and pieces of the films. Hope you liked this one!  
**

 **crazy lil weirdo: Here's hoping that you enjoyed this one! I love writing the story, especially since I've gotten so much positive feedback on the story. It's going to be quite something by the end of the story and hopefully you'll like it no matter what!**

 **Vincent FGS91: I tried to get the first update out quickly since I knew that this one would take longer to get out - as it so obviously did. Glad that you loved the Obscurus reference! I couldn't resist since I had just seen Fantastic Beasts again. At some point I'll definitely incorperate more language so thanks for that! Hopefully you liked this one!**

 **Pretending to be: I'm really glad that you're enjoying the story and excited to see what's coming next. Thank you so much! I'm so glad that you're that fond of the story. I'm really glad that you love Tara, because I've worked so hard on her. Her relationship with Cedric is one of my favorite parts of the story. Glad that you like the length of the chapters! Hope you enjoyed this one!**

 **decadenceofmysoul: Thank you!**

 **Pellinore the Great:Yes, we're finally at Goblet of Fire! Dun dun dun... I'm excited to be here too! It's going to be so much fun to write and Tara will develop so much in these upcoming chapters. It's going to venture into moderately AU territory, if that makes sense. Much of the rest of the story will be in that moderately AU territory. Hope you liked this one!**


	3. The Invitation

When my alarm went off the next morning I ignored it at least three times, much the way that I did at Hogwarts, but rarely the way that I did at home. Usually I couldn't wait to get up and start my day. But not today. When my alarm went off the fourth time I finally managed to drag myself out of bed. But I didn't immediately get changed. Instead I paced around my room, trying to take as long as possible to get ready before having to go downstairs and face my family. I'd stay up here all day if it was possible, counting down the hours until I could head off with the Weasley's.

Knowing that I needed to stretch out the time that I spent in my room for as long as possible, I spent a long time getting changed into my clothes for the day. I ended up in a pair of jeans and shirt before changing my mind and showering. Twice. My hair was likely stripped of every single oil before I finally pushed myself out after the second. Plus, I really didn't need to get yelled at for wasting water and driving up the bill. So, I climbed out and dried my hair about ten minutes longer than I really had to. I brushed my hair over and over again before changing my outfit three times.

After much deliberating I settled on a simple tank top and shorts considering the warm weather. I glanced over at the clock and rolled my eyes when I saw that it was only ten o'clock. Nowhere near late enough to head downstairs. I was hoping to make it to lunch without having to leave. I was debating on washing my face again and give some makeup a try when an owl landed outside of my window. My heart skipped a beat when I thought that it was Cedric but I realized quickly that it was foolish. He wouldn't risk a letter when we were going to see each other in a few days.

Pushing the window open, I allowed the large owl to hop in Dai's cage to take some water. "Thank you," I told the owl.

Dai definitely didn't look happy to have the intruder in his cage, but I merely gave him a little glare to leave the smaller owl alone. Dai had certainly adopted some of his attitude issues from Hale. I took the envelope and walked over to my desk, sitting in the swirling chair and opening a drawer. Just in case it was from Cedric and I had to tuck it away quickly. I grabbed my letter opener and slit the piece of parchment open, revealing a letter written in Hermione's neat script. I smiled slightly. It would help to have a girl's perspective on my newest issue. I glanced down at the letter and read:

 _Tara,_

 _I'll be heading to the Weasley's soon in preparation for the Quidditch World Cup. I'm bringing the rest of my school things with me so that I don't have to head back home afterwards. I'm just trying to figure out, what should I bring with me to the Quidditch World Cup? Is there anything that I should read beforehand to get some background?_

 _Who's going to be playing this year? Ron says that it doesn't matter, I won't understand it anyways. But I do understand it most of the time and I'm sure that the entire event will be fascinating._

 _Anything interesting happening with you?_

 _See you in a few days for the Cup,  
Hermione._

For the first time since Cedric and I had been caught, I couldn't help but to smile. It was so much like Hermione. As much as I loved my roommate and best friend, she was always going to be one of the biggest nerds that I had ever met. She was always going to be the person who loved exams, studying on Friday nights, and prefer the company of a good book over people. But that was one of the things that I loved about her. The fact that she wasn't a normal person. I reached over and grabbed a spare piece of parchment and a pen, writing out my answer.

 _Hermione,_

 _Sweet! As long as my parents aren't going to try and hold me captive (more on that later) I should be heading to the Weasley's soon. I think they're coming to get us tomorrow. I'm just going to go with Harry. Hopefully I'll be able to stay at the Burrow for the rest of the summer. My parents and I aren't getting along too well right now. Anything you want you can buy there. Be warned, it'll be overpriced. Bring normal clothes, something green, please! Mostly to bother Ron. As for background reading, might just want to read up on the rules of the sport. They'll be in full play here._

 _It's Ireland vs. Bulgaria. We're rooting for Ireland. Ron will be rooting for Bulgaria because of Viktor Krum - their Seeker. He loves him. I'm sure you'll understand it and you always have me to explain if not._

 _Anything interesting happening to me... Hermione, I was an idiot. Cedric and I were out in Diagon Alley messing around for the day. Of course, I lied and said that I was with you. My parents were in the damned alley! They saw the two of us kissing, naturally when the kiss was just the slightest bit heated. So, that happened. Needless to say, they weren't thrilled with that. I'm in a ton of trouble. It happened last night. One day I'll talk to them but for now I'm avoiding them. Any advice on what I should do now? Tell me when we're together._

 _No way that I'm not going to the World Cup. It's been too long since I've seen one. They'll probably be a lot more protective of me than they normally are, which is going to be extraordinarily annoying._

 _By the way, if you tell me that you told me so, I'm going to lose it. Keep that bit to yourself, yeah?_

 _See you tomorrow,_  
 _Tara._

If Hermione for a second even dared to tell me that she told me so, I was going to flip out on her. Especially since I knew that she was right. She was one of the people who had wanted me to tell my parents about Cedric. She was the one who had warned me that the longer that I risked dragging it out, the more likely that I was risking getting caught. I was going to punch her if she tried to attack me. I was really going to kill Ron if he said anything. I knew that he was the one who would throw it back in my face.

At least I wouldn't have to deal with that until tomorrow. And maybe they would see just how upset I was. That was one way to keep them quiet and not teasing me about getting caught. I put away my pen and extra paper and folded up my letter along with Hermione's old one. I slipped it into one of my envelopes before handing the papers to the owl who had brought Hermione's letter. I would have given it to Dai but he had just been on a few long journeys to the Weasley's. He needed some time to rest before heading back there again.

Opening the cage, I let the new owl out. He bounced in front of me. "Know where Hermione is?" I asked him quietly.

The owl chirped happily and I handed him the letter. It would likely get to Hermione just before we showed up. Hopefully she didn't say anything to Ron or the twins. I really didn't want to have to listen to them tease me about getting treated like a three-year-old by my parents. The owl hopped over to the window as I opened it, letting him take flight off to the Burrow. I seated myself on my bed again, opening my journal from Cedric to start writing about what I wished that I was doing when the flew open.

Dad was standing in the doorway with his arms folded over his chest. I slammed the journal shut and tossed it into the bedside table. "Thanks for knocking," I huffed.

His face set itself into a thin line. "I'll knock when you've earned the right to privacy," Dad snarled. I rolled my eyes, ignoring the little glare that he was giving me. Apparently, the battle was already beginning for the day. "Roll your eyes all you like. I went to Hogwarts too. I'm used to all of the teenage girls ignoring their well-meaning parents."

"What do you want?" I asked rudely.

Had he really come in here just to snap at me? "Watch your tone," Dad warned sharply. I stared at him blankly. "Where did you send that owl?"

Of course, he'd seen that I had just sent off the owl and automatically thought that it was to Cedric. Good thing that he hadn't seen me last night. "To Hermione. I can't call it back so you're going to have to believe me," I snapped.

Dad glared at me. "What did you tell her?" he asked.

Suppressing the urge to tell him to leave me the hell alone, I said, "Nothing of importance. Talked a little bit about the Quidditch World Cup. Told her who was playing." Dad nodded at me but he still looked rather disbelieving. "Talked about how unreasonable my parents were being."

"That's what being a parent's about. Making your kid think that you're being unreasonable," Dad said.

"That's a good way to parent," I mumbled.

It was loud enough that Dad could have heard me. He likely did, because I saw his eyes narrow into little slits. But he decided to let that comment go. We had bigger fights to handle, after all. "Come downstairs," Dad said.

"No, thanks. I'm going to stay up here for a little while," I said.

"It wasn't a question, Tara. Come downstairs," Dad ordered.

As much as I would have loved to stay here forever, I knew that it wasn't worth the fight. "Alright," I muttered.

Perhaps I would get lucky and only have to have breakfast downstairs. That was what I really wanted before having to head back to my room to wait out the rest of the night and tomorrow. For a moment I lingered and cleaned up my desk, mostly to annoy Dad. I could see that he was tapping his foot against the ground, waiting for me to follow him out. But I really didn't want to. I was trying to do just little things to aggravate them. Just the way that they were doing to me. It was childish but I didn't care. They were being childish too.

Once I had finally put all of my things together I turned to head downstairs with Dad. But before I could get to the door, he stopped and grabbed something off of my chair. I raised a brow as he tossed it towards me. I caught it grouchily and unfolded what appeared to be an older sweater. Clearly meant for me to wear it over my semi-revealing tank top. I rolled my eyes as I pulled it on over myself. As I straightened out the baggy material I realized that it was Mom's since it was much larger than I was. It was also quite thick for such a warm afternoon.

"You know that it's the middle of the summer?" I hissed as we stormed down the stairs.

"We're not in Florida anymore. You can handle a sweater. Plus, we're inside," Dad said.

"Exactly. We're home by ourselves," I pointed out.

We were home all alone. What was the point of having me dress like a nun today? "You're already on thin ice. Watch what you say," Dad warned.

The urge to bite out another scathing reply came to the tip of my tongue but I just barely managed to swallow it. Dad was right about one thing. I was on thin ice. I didn't need to say anything nasty to get myself into even more trouble. The two of us walked down into the living room together where Mom was already having her morning tea. I rolled my eyes all over again. I just couldn't help it. They were being so annoying. I had never seen my parents quite the way that they were right now with the entire Cedric situation.

It was all driving me out of my mind. They had never cared that much about me doing whatever I wanted before. Of course, they had never known me with any boys before. Not anything outside of my friends. The only thing that I had seen was Mom glare at Fred one time, which I didn't quite understand. But it was this attitude that was really driving me out of my mind. I knew without a doubt that there was no way that I could tolerate them for another two weeks until I went back to Hogwarts. Not the way that they were being right now.

We all sat together for a few minutes in silence before Mom finally rose from her spot on the couch and grabbed breakfast for everyone. It was just a few eggs. Nothing like the waffles that they had made yesterday when they had still liked me. I ended up pushing my food around my plate for a long time and not eating anything. I really didn't want any food right now. Not in this awkward silence where chewing sounded like screaming. I would have much rather been with my friends. Or maybe Cedric. Especially since that would make my parents furious.

"We're not just going to sit here and ignore each other all day," Mom finally said sharply.

They both looked at me but I remained silent. "Tara?" Dad prompted.

"What? I don't have anything to say," I mumbled.

"That's not the Tara that I know," Dad tried to tease.

But I was not having it. We had to have a serious conversation about this, not just awkwardly skirting around the big problem. "I don't get why I'm in so much trouble. You two have always said such positive things about Cedric whenever he came over for dinner. You've never had anything bad to say about him. Mom, one time you even knew that I had a crush on him! You said that I should tell him how I felt," I snarled.

Dad shot Mom a look that told me that he hadn't known that she had ever told me that. I pushed back a grin. If the two of them were arguing with each other, there was a good chance that they would leave me alone. But everything that I had said was the truth. I would have understood them being upset with me. They had every right. But they shouldn't have been this upset. They had always loved Cedric. They had always said what a wonderful boy he was. Mom even knew about my crush and had told me to go for it. I had and it had worked and now they hated us being together.

"When you were older, Tara. Or for the two of you to take things slowly," Mom said.

That was a miserable excuse. "We are," I said.

"Apparently not," Dad scoffed.

We each sent a heated glare at each other. We were taking things plenty slow. We might have spent a few nights together in the Astronomy Tower, but those were innocent, save a few kisses. We were normal teenagers who were dating and we would remain that way until we were both ready for the next step - whenever that day might come. And, honestly, that was my business, not theirs. As I turned to look back at Mom I realized something else. I realized just why Mom had offered me the advice to tell Cedric the way that I felt about him.

"Be honest. You didn't want him to have feelings for me, did you?" I asked slowly.

To my surprise, Mom at least had the decency to look a little bit embarrassed. "If we're being honest, I didn't think that he would. You're much younger than he is," she pointed out.

"Two years," I huffed.

We were just a touch over two years apart. It wasn't that big of a deal. "Most boys that have a two-year difference between himself and a girl at his age would look at her like a little sister. Someone to be protected. Not someone that he wants to be with," Mom explained.

"So... every time that I have a boyfriend who I might have started out as friends with, you're always going to hate them afterwards?" I growled.

"Not when you're older," Mom said.

My eyes rolled so far back into their head that I was sure that they would get stuck there. "Right. Come on, you had to know that this day was coming," I attempted.

The two of them exchanged a little look with each other. Mom let out a soft breath before getting up and seating herself in front of me. "We knew that the day was coming. But we had hoped that you would feel comfortable enough to tell us face-to-face so that we could have a calm discussion about what came next," she said as nicely as possible.

"Nothing!" I shouted suddenly. They both jumped as I lowered my voice. "It's my relationship. It's between the two of us. No one else."

"Not when you're only fourteen," Dad said.

Once again, I rolled my eyes. "What do you honestly think that the two of us have been doing?" I asked.

"Why don't you tell us?" Mom asked.

I didn't miss the way that Dad flinched. "He clearly doesn't want to know," I muttered, motioning to him.

Mom shook her head. "No, but it's important that this gets out in the open."

My jaws ground together. They really thought that the two of us had actually done stuff like that. Stuff that I still wasn't even comfortable thinking about. "Nothing that the two of you were thinking. We've kissed, obviously. That's about it," I said. I thought about stopping there before deciding that I might as well get everything out in the open. Just in case it somehow came out later. "We've snuck away to the Astronomy Tower a few times at night and spent some time together. But, come on, Harry's seen me in less than Cedric has."

Their jaws had ground together about the Astronomy Tower comment. They must have absolutely despised the fact that the two of us were together. It almost made me feel terrible for saying it. Maybe I should have stayed quiet. But I figured that I had to say something before it accidentally came out - as I had already leaned tended to happen. Although I was careful about not saying anything to indicate the fact that the two of us had spent the entire night there together. That was one thing that I could keep to myself. Either way, they seemed more concerned with the Harry comment.

"That doesn't make me feel better," Dad groaned.

The thought of Harry and I potentially being together sent a sick feeling through my stomach. That was repulsive. "I meant a bathing suit. And you know Harry! You let me sneak into his house in the middle of the night," I pointed out.

"I seem to remember you wanting to adopt Harry as your brother when the two of you were younger," Dad added.

"Double standard," I huffed.

Maybe it wasn't quite a double standard, but it was annoying. They knew that Harry was my best friend with no romantic connection, so it didn't bother them. But they were beside themselves about Cedric. "It's not a double standard. It's being honest, Tara. You and Harry - as well as Ron - are best friends. There's not much to be concerned about there," Mom pointed out. I scoffed again. "You and Cedric are clearly something a lot more. There's some concern that it could grow into something more before you're ready."

"Before I'm ready or before you're ready?" I asked, before thinking better of it.

"Attitude," Dad snapped.

"It's not an attitude," I said.

"Yes, it is," Mom put in.

Maybe it was, but they had asked for it. They were being such pains. I sat in silence with them for a few minutes as we all stared down at our feet. None of us had anything to say to each other that wasn't going to start a fight. We were actually being modestly nice to each other and I was hoping to manage to keep it that way for a while longer. Out of the corner of my eyes I noticed both of my parents exchanging a little look with each other and I glared at them. Automatically I knew that they were trying to think of a way to deliver what was sure to be bad news.

Finally, Dad seemed to conclude that he was going to have to speak first. "We need to talk about what's happening over the next few days," he said slowly.

"We're going to the Quidditch World Cup," I said plainly.

"Yes, but it's not going to go quite the way that it was before," Dad said.

My heart felt like it had dropped out of my stomach. I didn't have to be a Seer to know that they were planning on keeping me with them rather than allowing me to go with the Weasley's. "What are you talking about?" I asked slowly.

"You'll be coming with us," Dad said plainly.

Now my heart was definitely on the floor. The last thing that I wanted to do was go with them. They had been preparing the arena for months now and were barely even around. Half of the reason that I was going with the Weasley's was because they would at least be around and celebrating. Not making sure everything was going according to plan. Plus, everyone was going to be with them! I was supposed to spend a fair amount of time with my parents and be with them - and everyone else during the game - but otherwise with the Weasley's. I'd be mostly alone if I went with them!

"No! I was supposed to go with the Weasley's and Harry! Everyone else is going to be there!" I shouted. I was even supposed to be in their tent. I'd be the biggest loser if I was the only person staying somewhere other than the Weasley's tent. "I'll be all by myself."

Mom might be around for a lot of the match, but Dad would barely be asking an appearance. "You're not going to be alone. You're going to be with us and you can still see your friends at the match," Mom pointed out.

No way. There was no way that I was going with them. This was my chance to have some last-minute summer fun with my friends. "What will it take to get you to let me go with the Weasley's?" I asked.

The two of them exchanged a little look. "Trust. Which we don't have right now," Dad explained.

"You're going to ruin the World Cup for me. It's not fair," I whined.

"Come up with an alternate plan, then," Mom offered.

That was better than nothing. I would just have to take it and run with it. More than anything I wanted to bite out for them to leave me alone and let me do what I was originally planning to do, but I knew that I would have to tread lightly here. Anything to keep them from forcing me to stay home from the World Cup. The only thing that I could think to do - that would make all of us happy - was to come to some sort of happy medium. Getting them to allow me to go and have some freedom without risking them getting pissed and forcing me to stay home from the Cup.

So I took a deep breath and said, "How about what we were originally planning to do? Let me go with the Weasley's and Harry to the World Cup. If we don't go together, I won't get to enjoy the celebrations beforehand and I want to see those. Have Mr. and Mrs. Weasley keep an eye on me. We can send you reports. I'll call or something. Let me stay in their tent. You know that I was going to be with Ginny and Hermione anyways. If you really don't trust me, just remember that Cedric will be with his father. There's no chance for us to be alone together. Thousands of people will be there."

Both Mom and Dad stared at each other for a while as they processed my words. It was a completely fair assessment. I knew that it was. The question was whether or not they would agree to it. They wouldn't go back on the promise that they had made me weeks ago to allow me to go to the early celebrations with everyone else. They knew that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would watch over me and that I would be staying with Hermione and Ginny. Just the girls. And I couldn't help but to point out that it wasn't quite a good time for us to have alone time.

Finally, Dad seemed to settle on his decision. "Letting you do that would be like giving you a reward for bad behavior," he said.

"I'm not a dog," I snapped, before thinking better of it.

"But we are still raising you!" he shouted back. I jumped slightly, fearing that I might have pushed him a little too far. He took in a deep breath and continued. "As we always will be doing. Why should we let you go?"

"Because we've had these plans for months. Because maybe it's a chance for us all to get along again," I said softly.

The two of them stared at each other before Mom gave Dad the slightest nod. He turned back to me and let out a little breath. "One last chance, Tara," Dad said.

"Of you not treating me like a baby..." I added lowly.

"You keep making comments like that and we'll take it back," Dad snapped.

"Okay. Thanks," I said.

They both nodded. "Once we get there, you'll be with us at almost all times. Understood?" Mom asked.

"Really?" I groaned.

"Tara. Don't push," she warned.

"Okay. Fine. Can I still stay with the Weasley's?"

"As long as you check in with us regularly. That means regularly. At least once a day," Dad said.

If that was what I could get, that was what I would take. The one thing that mattered to me was that I could spend it with the Weasley's, Hermione, and Harry. For a while the three of us sat in an awkward silence. I was still very bitter about having to spend so much of the World Cup with my parents, where I clearly wouldn't be allowed to speak to Cedric, but it was better than not being there at all. Not that I really cared. I was still going to manage to slip away at some point and spend most of the time with my friends. And definitely Cedric.

Finally, I could take the silence no longer. I hopped up from my spot on the couch and said, "I'm going to go to Harry's."

"Tara -" Dad warned.

"I want to be there when he gets the letter from Ron! Just to explain things to Vermin," I interrupted loudly. It was just Harry. They never cared when I was over there. And they could see when I was there. "Ron told me that he was sending the letter around today so that Harry would know that they were coming tomorrow. You can watch me walk over to his house if you like."

"Attitude," Mom warned.

 _Watch your mouth, idiot. You need to be able to go to the World Cup_. "Sorry. Can I go?" I asked quietly.

"Be back in an hour," Mom said.

"Okay," I growled.

It felt a little stupid to have a time limit on how long I had before having to be back at home. I had never had a time limit on how long I was able to be over at Harry's unless we had plans to do something else. They hadn't even given me a time limit on when I had to be back home when I had first become friends with Harry after we had moved back to Surrey. I moved to pull of my sweater, only stopping at the glare that my parents gave me. I would be able to pull it off once I got over there. I would just have to remember to put it back on before I came back home.

Saying a quick and somewhat awkward goodbye to my parents, I turned and headed out of the house. It felt much less suffocating out in the open air. I headed over to the Dursley's household quickly, hoping to make the best out of my hour. I knew that things were definitely bad because I would have rather been at the Dursley's house than my own right now. After all, I was going to really have to watch my mouth while I was at home for the next few days. Which definitely wasn't something that I had ever been very good at.

Standing at their front door, I knocked a few times. Almost a full minute passed before the door opened, revealing Dudley's massive form. I forced a smile on my face. "Hey, Tara," Dudley greeted.

"Hi, Dudley. Can I come in?" I asked softly.

"Sure." Dudley stepped to the side and allowed me into the house. We were in the hallway together when he turned to me. "How are you?"

"Been better. How about you?"

"Still on that horrible diet."

From what I could see, the diet wasn't working well so far. I was sure that Dudley had started stealing food to keep from losing weight. "Sorry to hear that. Getting more than a grapefruit today?" I asked.

Dudley shook his head. "No. You okay?"

"Not really."

"What happened?"

Telling Dudley about my boy problems seemed a little odd. At least Harry was used to me complaining. "Uh..." I trailed off awkwardly.

"He's not downstairs yet," Dudley said, sensing what I was looking for.

"Oh," I said dumbly. I debated on telling Dudley the truth for a few moments before deciding that I might as well go for it. Maybe I could use a non-objective opinion. "Well, maybe your father didn't tell you about it, but he saw me kissing a boy at King's Cross at the beginning of the summer. That's my boyfriend. But I never told my parents about him. I just led them on to think that he's my friend. They walked in on us in Diagon Alley - kind of like an outdoor shopping mall - kissing and that was it. They've lost all trust in me and they're furious."

There was a slightly awkward look on Dudley's face. I knew that it wasn't just because the two of us didn't talk that much. We had some chitchat from time to time but we weren't that close. Not the way that Harry and I were. The other problem was that Dudley had once had a rather large crush on me. I was pretty sure that it wasn't quite gone yet. But he never made it that obvious so I never really worried about it. Although now that he knew that I had a boyfriend, he was sure to be a little more awkward around me.

"He's like... like you?" Dudley asked slowly.

None of the Dursley's would ever be comfortable with magic or anything to do with it. "Yeah," I said.

"That's what all of that yelling was about last night?" Dudley asked curiously.

We were that loud that even Dudley had been able to hear us? I shifted slightly awkwardly. "Yeah. They were pretty pissed about having to find out that way," I explained stupidly.

"Things any better today?" Dudley asked.

"Nope."

"Can I give you some advice?"

Now those were a few words that I never thought that I would hear from Dudley Dursley. Some advice that he could give me. It seemed a little silly. Dudley and I barely even got along. We got alone because I had to stay friends with him so that I was allowed inside to hang out with Harry. Was this perhaps a real chance for the two of us to really become friends? The idea almost made me smile. In my own very strange way, I did like Dudley. He wasn't as bad as I always made him out to be. He just had two miserable human beings for parents.

It took me a few seconds too long to realize that I had to say something to him. "Genuine advice from Dudley Dursley. Not something I ever thought that I might want," I joked. Dudley gave a somewhat awkwardly smile. "Yeah, sure. Go for it."

"Have you told them about the way that he makes you feel?" Dudley asked. I stared at Dudley uncomprehendingly. I didn't have the slightest idea what he was talking about. Other than the obvious, of course. But wouldn't that be a little strange? "Don't just yell at them and try to justify that you lied. They already know that. There's no going back on the fact that you lied. Try telling them about why you want to be with him. Tell them how he makes you feel when you're together so they know that it's more than just kissing in secret."

For a moment I merely stared at Dudley. His advice definitely wasn't something that I had been expecting. Dudley rarely gave good advice. He usually merely complained and stared at people until they did what he wanted. It fascinated me to hear him give some actual good advice. He was right. Yelling and trying to justify my actions was useless. I was already in trouble and that was making things worse. Talking to them calmly and rationally was a much better choice. Perhaps they'd be willing to listen if I acted like the mature adult they were hoping that I was.

"That's some really surprisingly good advice there, Dudley," I said. We both laughed softly. "Thanks. I'll think about it."

"You're welcome."

For the first time in a long time, perhaps ever, I was very grateful to have Dudley Dursley around. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Harry heading downstairs and I smiled at him. "Excuse me, will you?" I told Dudley.

He gave me a gentle smile and stepped to the side. "Yeah."

Perhaps there was a chance that Dudley and I would be able to really be friends after all. Dudley headed down the hall as I allowed him to walk past me. He took a seat with his parents over at the dining room table. Vermin and Horse-Face barely even looked up at me as I walked past. They really didn't like me after all. Definitely not since they had found out that I was like Harry. Honestly, I didn't really mind. I didn't want to talk to them and I didn't want to have to listen to them. They were so dismissive of others that it drove me out of my damn mind. They reminded me of the Malfoy's.

As I brushed past the dining room table - and Dudley's hulking figure - I headed over towards Harry. He looked to be taking as long as possible to come down the stairs. I knew that he was just counting down the days until he could go back to Hogwarts. At this point, so was I. I tried to force a smile on my face as I met him over on the landing. I didn't want him to see just how upset my parents were really making me. That would be for another time. For now, I really did miss talking to him. He must have seen the disappointment on my face as he walked over and wrapped me in a tight hug.

"Morning," Harry said softly.

"Morning," I mumbled.

As we pulled away, Harry brushed the hair back off of my face. I guessed that I really did wear emotion on my face, even though I thought that I didn't. "How are things going for you?" Harry asked.

Clearly, he was trying very hard not to upset me, which I appreciated. "Not well. They threatened to take away the World Cup for a little while but I guess they thought that even that was too much," I told him. Harry's eyes widened. He made a move to speak - probably to offer to talk to my parents for me - so I spoke over him. "It took me a while to talk them down and convince them that I should have been allowed to go earlier with the Weasley's and away from them."

"It's really that bad?" Harry asked.

"Oh, it's worse than bad. They're furious," I said.

They had never been so angry with me. Not that I could remember. Harry gave me a nervous look. He had never seen us really fighting. "But you're coming that first day, right?" Harry asked slowly.

"Yeah. I'm coming," I said. I could see the relief in his eyes. "I need to get away from them for a little while anyways."

Perhaps I'd be able to get Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to negotiate my stay away from my parents. Mrs. Weasley was one of the few people that my parents listened to. "You'll be happy away from everyone else and it'll be fantastic. We're going to have a great time. You'll have Ron and Hermione and the twins," Harry said. I smiled slightly. I missed Fred and George. "Can't wait to see what the three of you cook up."

As long as they weren't planning on setting me on fire, I was sure that it would be fantastic. "Something terrible and dangerous, I'm sure," I said. Harry and I both laughed. "I'm only around here for an hour, just so you know."

His eyebrow raised. "Doing something else?" he asked.

"Probably getting in another power struggle with my parents," I sighed.

Harry looked shocked. "Wow. Your parents are usually so relaxed about everything," he said. I nodded at him. They had always let me do as I pleased. Right up until they had caught me with Cedric. "It's so strange to see them actually getting strict about things like who you're going out with and how much time you're spending out."

My eyes rolled back in my head. "Do yourself a favor, Harry?" I said. He hummed at me. "Don't ever get caught kissing your secret girlfriend."

Harry laughed softly. "I'll work on it." Not that the Dursley's would ever even care of Harry got a girlfriend. Other than maybe trying to embarrass or degrade him in front of her. "Think they're going to get over it?" Harry asked.

Perhaps in about ten years. Although they would likely talk about this for the rest of my life, never letting me live it down. "Not really. I think that they'll eventually calm down but I don't think that they're going to really ever be comfortable with it. Not when he's older than I am and they think that we're doing a lot more than we really are," I explained.

Harry coughed awkwardly. "You're not -"

"I'll kill you," I groaned, glaring at him. Why did no one believe me that we weren't doing that together? "No."

Harry shifted awkwardly and laid a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. They'll be okay."

"I guess. At least we'll be at the World Cup soon enough."

"That's coming up?" Harry asked curiously.

He really needed to listen to me more. "We're leaving tomorrow," I said.

"Since when?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"I think you've been a little too busy with your boyfriend," Harry teased.

Maybe I hadn't told him what we were planning on doing. I assumed that Ron hadn't written to him yet. Last thing that I had heard, Ron hadn't even gotten the tickets from his father yet. From what my own father had told me, the Ministry workers didn't get tickets until just a few days before the match began. The only reason that we had them so early on was because Dad was one of the main people involved with the organization of the Cup. And he had managed to work in a way to get the Weasley's, Harry, and Hermione in the upper rows. It was the best view.

"Please. I'm just naturally forgetful," I huffed. Harry rolled his eyes. "I forgot to mention that I got a letter from Ron a few days ago. They're coming to get you - and me, in turn - for the World Cup tomorrow." Harry's eyes brightened. He must have been thrilled to get out of here. "We're heading to the Burrow for a day before heading to the World Cup. We'll be at the Cup for a few days."

"I'm so excited," Harry said happily.

"You're going to love it, Harry," I said cheerfully. A moment later I shifted my gaze to look at the Dursley's. They all seemed very focused on their plates, completely ignoring the two of us. Not even to snap at us. "What's up with them?"

"Who knows? They're just trying to ignore me," Harry said.

"Better than harassing you," I pointed out.

Harry grinned. "Look at that. We're finally changing places."

We bother laughed. He was right. His family was now ignoring whatever he wanted to do while mine were on top of my every move. "As much as I really wish that we weren't," I groaned. Harry patted me on the back as I dropped my head onto his shoulder. "Don't worry, my parents will go back to normal soon enough and the Dursley's will be back to ruining your life."

"Something to look forward to," Harry teased. We both laughed softly. "Want breakfast?"

"It'd be good considering I got out of the house before my parents actually got breakfast out. I don't think that we even had it," I explained. My stomach gave a loud growl to prove my story. Harry grinned. "What's for breakfast here?"

"Grapefruit, I'd assume," Harry teased.

"Shocking," I growled.

We both laughed again. I could have really used something more than a grapefruit though. But I didn't want to go back to my house for food. "Can't guarantee that they'll give you any," Harry pointed out.

"You know what? I think that I'm okay with that," I said.

Actually, I really didn't like grapefruit. We both laughed again as we headed down the landing into the living room. By the time Harry and I arrived in the kitchen, the three Dursley's were already seated around the table. None of them looked up as we entered or sat down. They barely even seemed to notice that I was here. Which was fine by me. I didn't want them to talk to me. Vermin's large red face was hidden behind the morning's Daily Mail, and Horse-Face was cutting a grapefruit into quarters, her lips pursed over her horse-like teeth. I definitely wouldn't be getting any.

Horse-Face must have noticed where my gaze was. "We don't have any leftovers," she snapped.

"That's alright," I said dully.

Dudley looked furious and sulky, and somehow seemed to be taking up even more space than usual. That was saying something, as he always took up an entire side of the square table by himself. He gave me a little look and I nodded. He might have annoyed me most of the time, but I really was grateful for the advice that he had given me earlier. Harry pointed me to the seat beside him and I plopped myself down, watching when Horse-Face put a quarter of unsweetened grapefruit onto Dudley's plate.

She added a tremulous, "There you are, Diddy darling."

Dudley glowered at her. It was very hard for me to not laugh at his predicament, especially since he had just maybe helped me out with my Cedric problem. But it was hard. It was so funny, everything that had happened to Dudley since the beginning of the summer. It was particularly comical to see that all of his years of terrible behavior - at home and in school - were finally coming back to bite him in the ass. Dudley's life had taken a most unpleasant turn since he had come home for the summer with his end-of-year report.

Vermin and Horse-Face had managed to find excuses for his bad marks as usual: Horse-Face always insisted that Dudley was a very gifted boy whose teachers didn't understand him. She had always ignored the fact that Dudley's grades were some of the lowest in his class. I couldn't help but to wonder how they ever thought that Dudley would be able to get into a good college or have a halfway decent career. Even I was planning on doing some Auror training after I graduated from Hogwarts in a few years. Dudley had to get on track.

Meanwhile Vermin maintained that 'he didn't want some swotty little nancy boy for a son anyway.' Which was his own excuse for why he didn't want Dudley to have good grades. Or even somewhat decent grades. I had snuck a look at Dudley's report earlier in the summer. His grades were on par with someone three years behind where he was. Both of his parents also skated over the accusations of bullying in the report - which Harry and I knew were dulled down, if anything. He was horrible to everyone who didn't immediately show him any fear.

"He's a boisterous little boy, but he wouldn't hurt a fly!" Horse-Face had said tearfully.

Harry and I had sprinted to his room to ensure we didn't laugh and get ourselves into trouble. Dudley had been accused of many vicious attacks on his fellow students. At the bottom of the report there were a few well-chosen comments from the school nurse that not even Vermin and Horse-Face could explain away. No matter how much Horse-Face wailed that Dudley was big-boned, and that his poundage was really puppy fat, and that he was a growing boy who needed plenty of food, the fact remained that the school outfitters didn't stock knickerbockers big enough for him anymore.

There had even been a few comments that Dudley had been facing some very serious health issues at a very young age if things didn't change. That was enough t finally garner his parents' attention. The school nurse had seen what Horse-Face's eyes - so sharp when it came to spotting fingerprints on her gleaming walls, and in observing the comings and goings of the neighbors, including my own family - simply refused to see: that far from needing extra nourishment, Dudley had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale.

So - after many tantrums, after arguments that shook Harry's bedroom floor, and many tears from Horse-Face - the new regime had begun. I had hung around for the first few weeks of the diet because it had fascinated me. Dudley had never been on a diet before so I loved seeing his reaction. The diet sheet that had been sent by the Smelting's school nurse had been taped to the fridge, which had been emptied of all Dudley's favorite things - fizzy drinks and cakes, chocolate bars and burgers - and filled instead with fruit and vegetables and the sorts of things that Vermin called 'rabbit food.'

To make Dudley feel better about it all, Horse-Face had insisted that the whole family follow the diet too. That extended to any visitors. The most food that I had eaten at one of their dinners had been a small salad with no dressing. Horse-Face now passed a grapefruit quarter to Harry. She stared at me for a moment before huffing and moving on. I noticed that Harry's grapefruit was a lot smaller than Dudley's. Horse-Face seemed to feel that the best way to keep up Dudley's morale was to make sure that he did, at least, get more to eat than Harry.

But Horse-Face didn't know what was hidden under the loose floorboard upstairs. She had no idea that Harry was not following the diet at all. The moment the two of us had gotten wind of the fact that he was expected to survive the summer on carrot sticks, Harry had sent Hedwig to all of our friends with pleas for help, and they had risen to the occasion magnificently. Hedwig had returned from Hermione's house with a large box stuffed full of sugar-free snacks. Hermione's parents were dentists and very against sugar.

Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, had obliged with a sack full of his own homemade rock cakes. Harry and I hadn't dared touch those; we had both had too much experience of Hagrid's cooking. Mrs. Weasley, however, had sent the family owl, Errol, with an enormous fruitcake and assorted meat pies. Poor Errol, who was elderly and feeble, had needed a full five days to recover from the journey. And then on Harry's birthday (which the Dursley's had completely ignored) he had received four superb birthday cakes, one each from Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and Sirius.

My own parents had brought Harry over and had given him enough food to feed a small city. They were the ones that provided him actual food rather than just snacks and candy. We both knew that he would be sick if he just ate the food that everyone else had been sending him. As of right now, Harry still had two of the birthday cakes left, and so, looking forward to the two of us having a real breakfast when we got back upstairs, he ate his grapefruit without complaint and I sat in a stony silence.

Breakfasts with the Dursley's were never very fun. No one ever spoke because it was a little too awkward. Dudley was furious with the diet and no one wanted to tempt him. Vermin was too absorbed in his work at the drilling company. Horse-Face had her eyes on the neighbors and rarely actually interacted with the rest of the family. Whenever I came over for breakfast I simply sat quietly and waited to head upstairs to have real food with Harry. It was just too bad that my parents hadn't sent me with any food today. Especially since they knew about Dudley's diet and Harry's lack of food.

Harry split his own grapefruit in half and handed me the smaller half. I stared at it for a moment before shaking my head. He needed all of the food that he could get and I really didn't like grapefruit. It was rather gross. Harry took it back and started slowly chewing on it. I could see Dudley eyeing the little bit of grapefruit that Harry had leftover. He must have been starving from the sudden drop in food intake. Vermin laid aside his paper with a deep sniff of disapproval and looked down at his own grapefruit quarter.

"Is this it?" Vermin said grumpily to Horse-Face.

She gave him a severe look, and then nodded pointedly at Dudley, who had already finished his own grapefruit quarter and was eyeing Harry's with a very sour look in his piggy little eyes. In the back of my mind I knew that he shouldn't have changed his diet so fast. He was likely starving to death in an extremely unhealthy manner. It should have been a more gradual change. But I didn't say anything. Mostly because I knew that it would have been ignored by everyone but Dudley. And if he was getting used to the diet, I supposed that was what mattered.

Vermin gave a great sigh, which ruffled his large, bushy mustache, and picked up his spoon. In the meantime, I snuck into the Dursley's kitchen and grabbed myself a mug of tea that had been leftover. I would have much rather had a cup of coffee, but they weren't fond of the bitter drink. So, I settled on the rather gross tea. I just had to have something. I had been awake much of the night trying to scheme of ways to get my parents to open up to the idea of Cedric and I dating. Clearly that hadn't worked out too well.

The doorbell suddenly rang. We all glanced up curiously. It wasn't too common for their doorbell to ring. Everyone knew that the Dursley's were one of the most unpopular families in the neighborhood. No one liked their uppity attitudes. Vermin gave a few little groans over his interrupted breakfast as he heaved himself out of his chair and set off down the hall. Quick as a flash, while his mother was occupied with the kettle, Dudley stole the rest of Vermin's grapefruit. I snorted under my breath.

"Entertaining breakfast that you're all having," I whispered to Harry.

"See what I've been dealing while you've been with Cedric," Harry whispered back.

"My greatest condolences."

We both snorted as Harry held up his grapefruit. "Want a piece?" he asked.

"No, I'm good. I don't like grapefruit."

"Yeah. I think that I'm with you on that one."

After an entire summer of eating grapefruit, I imagined that he would never want to eat it again in his entire life. The two of us sat together, trying to overhear what was happening at the front door. I didn't know who would be here this early anyways. I could hear talking at the door, and someone laughing, and Vermin answering curtly. Whoever had been there, they definitely weren't someone that he wanted to talk to. Then the front door closed, and the sound of ripping paper came from the hall. A letter?

Horse-Face set the teapot down on the table and looked curiously around to see where Vermin had got to. It sounded to me like someone had delivered a letter or something of the sorts. Apparently, Vermin hadn't liked whatever had come to the house. Either way, Horse-Face didn't have to wait long to find out; after about a minute, he was back. He looked livid. I glanced at Harry, wondering if he knew what Vermin could possibly be so angry about. It didn't look like he had the slightest clue.

"You two," Vermin barked at Harry and me. "In the living room. Now."

We stared at each other confusedly. What the hell had just happened? Neither one of us had done anything that I could think of. I hadn't been the slightest bit weird or magical lately. Bewildered, wondering what on earth either one of us was supposed to have done this time, Harry and I got up and followed Vermin out of the kitchen and into the next room. We both glanced at each other in questioning, but clearly neither one of us understood what the problem was. Vermin closed the door sharply behind all three of us.

"So," Vermin said, marching over to the fireplace and turning to face Harry and I as though he were about to pronounce us under arrest. "So."

Just with one glance at Harry, I could tell that he would have dearly loved to have said, 'So what?' In all honesty, I would have loved to say that too. It would have been pleasing just to see the venomous look on Vermin's face. But I knew that he didn't feel that Vermin's temper should be tested this early in the morning, especially when it was already under severe strain from lack of food. Plus, we needed to make sure that he would be allowed to go to the World Cup. Harry therefore settled for looking politely puzzled.

"Something wrong?" I asked gently.

Vermin shot me a venomous look. For once I really didn't know what we had done. "This just arrived," Vermin snarled. He brandished a piece of purple writing paper at Harry and I. "A letter. About you. It mentions you."

What the hell was he talking about? Who would have been writing a letter about us? Perhaps Hogwarts was writing something, but they wouldn't have sent anything by the normal mailman. Not after what had happened in the weeks leading up to Harry and I's First Year at Hogwarts. It always came by owl these days. As I glanced over at Harry, I could see that his confusion had increased. Who would be writing to Vermin about either one of us? Who did the two of us know who sent letters by the postman?

That was when it dawned on me, who had written the letter. "Oh!" I gasped suddenly. Vermin and Harry turned to me, the former accusingly and the latter confusedly. "Apparently it wasn't clear enough. I would have thought that you could understand what it meant. Should have figured that a Muggle wouldn't even be able to understand a simple sporting event."

"Mind your manners," Vermin hissed.

It wasn't my fault that he was an awful moron. I thought about saying something else, but I knew that silence was my best option right now. We couldn't have any fights when the World Cup was mere days away. As much as it pained me, it was time for me to bite back what was sure to have been a scathing remark. Vermin glared at Harry and I, giving me a slightly longer look than he normally did, as if this entire thing was my fault, then looked down at the letter and began to read aloud:

 _"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,_

 _"We have never been introduced, but I am sure you have heard a great deal from Harry and Tara about my son Ron._

 _"As Harry or Tara might have told you, the final of the Quidditch World Cup takes place this Monday night, and my husband, Arthur, has just managed to get prime tickets through his connections at the Department of Magical Games and Sports._

 _"I do hope you will allow us to take Harry to the match, as this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; Britain hasn't hosted the cup for thirty years, and tickets are extremely hard to come by. Tara will already be coming with us and she'll be more than happy to tell you about our family. We would of course be glad to have Harry stay for the remainder of the summer holidays, and to see him safely onto the train back to school._

 _"It would be best for Harry to send us your answer as quickly as possible in the normal way, because the Muggle postman has never delivered to our house, and I am not sure he even knows where it is._ _If not, Tara can easily send us an answer._

 _"Hoping to see Harry soon,_

 _"Yours sincerely,  
"Molly Weasley._

 _"P.S. I do hope we've put enough stamps on._ "

The last comment in the letter stood out to me. What did it mean that she hoped that she had put enough stamps on? I would think that with Mr. Weasley at the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley and the rest of the kids would understand simple Muggle things. Of course, most of the time Mr. Weasley only half understood the things that he was working with. He seemed to usually think too much about the things that he was working with. Vermin finished reading, put his hand back into his breast pocket, and drew out something else.

"Look at this," he growled.

He held up the envelope in which Mrs. Weasley's letter had come, and Harry and I both had to fight down a laugh. I should have known that she would mess up sending a Muggle letter in the most endearing way possible. It was cute. She really didn't understand little things that Muggles did in their everyday life. Every bit of the envelope was covered in stamps except for a square inch on the front, into which Mrs. Weasley had squeezed the Dursley's address in minute writing. It was adorable. I thought that it was cute but Vermin was clearly furious.

"She did put enough stamps on, then," Harry said.

Obviously, he was trying to sound as though Mrs. Weasley's was a mistake anyone could make. But it definitely wasn't. The mistake was one that only a witch or wizard would make. There was no way that a normal person would do that unless it was a joke. I really should have made sure that Fred and George had told her how to send a letter. Vermin's eyes flashed in aggravation at his nephew. I couldn't help it. I snorted in amusement. Harry stepped on my foot, trying to keep me from making things any worse.

"The postman noticed," Vermin said through gritted teeth. Uh-oh... "Very interested to know where this letter came from, he was. That's why he rang the doorbell. Seemed to think it was _funny_."

Harry and I weren't stupid. We didn't say anything. Other people might not understand why Vermin was making a fuss about too many stamps, but Harry had lived with the Dursley's too long - and I had been their neighbor for too many years - not to know how touchy they were about anything even slightly out of the ordinary. Particularly magic, which they seemed to hate more than anything in the world. Their worst fear was that someone would find out that they were connected (however distantly) with people like Mrs. Weasley and my own parents.

It wasn't good for them to be so uptight about things. But it didn't matter. We would be away from them soon enough. Vermin was still glaring at Harry and I, both of us who tried to keep our expressions neutral. It was very hard though. I wanted to laugh so desperately. Mrs. Weasley's mistake really was quite comical. But if we didn't do or say anything stupid, Harry might just be in for the treat of a lifetime without a fight. We waited for Vermin to say something, but he merely continued to glare. I shifted awkwardly, thinking of something to say.

"Could have always just said that it was a joke between college friends," I muttered as helpfully as possible.

"Silence!" Vermin shouted.

We both jumped slightly. "Sorry. Just trying to be helpful..." I mumbled.

Okay... Talking to him myself wasn't going to help. This was something that Harry needed to handle. But I knew that he was afraid of upsetting his uncle and not being allowed to go. Clearly, he didn't understand that the Weasley's were coming to get him anyway. The two of us stood together in silence and glanced around a little awkwardly at each other. Finally, I gave Harry a reassuring nod. I didn't care about getting their permission, but it would make next summer a little bit easier if he got an agreement. Harry then decided to break the silence.

"So - can I go then?" he asked.

Perhaps saying something wasn't the best idea. Maybe we should have let him steam over the letter a little while longer. Because Vermin clearly didn't like being asked about anything having to do with Harry's magical abilities. A slight spasm crossed Vermin's large purple face. Not a bright idea. We should have waited and stayed quiet for a little while longer and given him some time to think. The mustache over his face bristled. I figured I knew what was going on behind the mustache: a furious battle as two of Vermin's most fundamental instincts came into conflict.

Allowing Harry to go would make Harry happy, something Vermin had struggled against for thirteen years. On the other hand, allowing Harry to disappear to the Weasley's for the rest of the summer would get rid of him two weeks earlier than anyone could have hoped, and Vermin hated having Harry in the house. If Harry left Vermin's house for the summer, it also meant that I wouldn't come around and they were terrified of me accidentally letting it slip that I wasn't normal. To give himself thinking time, it seemed, Vermin looked down at Mrs. Weasley's letter again.

"He'll be out of your hair for the rest of the summer," I tried to reason with Vermin softly.

Vermin glanced up at me, narrowing his already beady eyes. "You'll be going as well?" he asked.

"Yes. We'll be there for the rest of the summer. I might pop back home from time to time," I said.

Vermin hated me almost as much as he hated Harry. Mostly because - even without Harry around - he was still loosely tied to the people that he thought were so abnormal. Magical people right next door to his perfectly normal family. He narrowed his eyes again before glancing back down to the letter. I exchanged a quick look with Harry. We were both rocking back and forth nervously. The Weasley's would be coming for Harry anyway but things would be so much easier if Vermin would just agree to let Harry come. But easy had never been Vermin's forte.

"Who is this woman?" Vermin asked, staring at the signature with distaste.

I rolled my eyes. He knew who she was. "You've seen her. She's my friend Ron's mother, she was meeting him off the Hog- off the school train at the end of last term," Harry explained.

The moment that I realized what he had been about to say I had stomped down on Harry's foot. Judging by the look that he had given me, I could assume that it had really hurt. I would apologize for it later. I knew that I had just saved him from a magnificent fight and a big fat 'no' on the Quidditch World Cup. Harry had almost said 'Hogwarts Express,' and that was a sure way to get his uncle's temper up. Nobody ever mentioned the name of Harry or I's school aloud in the Dursley household. Perhaps they thought that they could contract strangeness by association.

It was always rather amusing talking about classes and Hogwarts around the neighborhood with Mom and Dad when we were close enough to the Dursley's for them to hear. The amount of times that I had seen Horse-Face nearly faint at the mention of Professor Trelawney and her crystal balls and tea leaves or seen Vermin go beet red over my loud discussions of what potions were best for curing Dragon Pox... Vermin screwed up his enormous face as though trying to remember something very unpleasant. Probably his sort-of meeting with Mrs. Weasley.

"Dumpy sort of woman? Load of children with red hair?" Vermin finally growled.

Harry and I exchanged a little look with each other. I hated the way that people spoke about the Weasley's. Not just the magical community, but the Muggle one, too. They might have been poor, but they were wonderful. I frowned at his wording, noticing that Harry was doing the same. I did think that it was a bit rich of Vermin to call anyone 'dumpy,' when his own son, Dudley, had finally achieved what he'd been threatening to do since the age of three, and become wider than he was tall. Unable to stop it, I snapped back at Vermin.

"She's not dumpy," I hissed.

She might have been a little short and stout, but she certainly wasn't dumpy. He just didn't like the way that witch's and wizard's robes looked. Which, admittedly, was a little strange to a normal Muggle. They did kind of look like bath robes. I cracked my knuckles, wishing that Fred and George were here to teach Vermin a little lesson on speaking about their mother that way. But I supposed that it didn't matter. Vermin had barely even noticed me speaking to him. Vermin was perusing the letter again. His eyes stopped scanning about halfway through.

"Quidditch," Vermin muttered under his breath. "Quidditch - what is this rubbish?"

That time my wrists rolled slightly. I would have liked to pelt a Bludger right towards his fat head. I had even spoken about Quidditch before. Not that I'd been able to talk about it for very long before Vermin had panicked and snapped at me to stop speaking about my unnaturalness in his house. But I knew that he had heard me refer to the sport before. He didn't have to be an ass about it. I felt a second stab of annoyance. Glancing at Harry, I could tell that he felt the exact same.

"It's a sport," Harry said shortly. "Played on broom-"

"All right, all right!" Vermin interrupted loudly.

But I wasn't quite finished playing this game. "We play the sport on our school team. It's a good chance to see a professional game," I continued.

Vermin stared at me, his large chest rising and falling rapidly. "This what your father used to do?" he asked.

"Yep. He was on the United States' team," I explained. "It's Ireland and Bulgaria this year."

He must have remembered when I had explained to Harry's Aunt Marge that my father had been a professional athlete. I saw, with some satisfaction, that Vermin looked vaguely panicky at the conversation of the magical sport that had started with the explanation of how it was played. Apparently, his nerves couldn't stand the sound of the word 'broomsticks' in his living room. He took refuge in perusing the letter again. Harry and I exchanged the slightest smile. I saw his lips form the words 'send us your answer... in the normal way.' Vermin scowled.

"What does she mean, 'the normal way'?" he spat.

"Normal for us," Harry said, motioning between us. Before Vermin could stop him, he added, "You know, owl post. That's what's normal for wizards."

That definitely wasn't the right thing to say, as entertaining as it might have been to see his reaction. And he certainly gave the exact one that Harry had been looking for. Vermin looked as outraged as if Harry had just uttered a disgusting swear word. I gave a tiny grin down to the floor. It was always entertaining hearing Vermin deal with any mention of magic in his home. Shaking with anger, he shot a nervous look through the window, as though expecting to see some of the neighbors with their ears pressed against the glass. I rolled my eyes.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to mention that unnaturalness under my roof?" Vermin hissed, his face now a rich plum color. "You stand there, in the clothes Petunia and I have put on your ungrateful back -"

"Only after Dudley finished with them," Harry said coldly.

That was probably the moment that Harry had pushed things a little too far in between the two of them. I knew that the one thing that Vermin and Horse-Face didn't tolerate was Harry being bluntly rude to them. They might have deserved it but it was a bad idea to tempt fate. Indeed, Harry was dressed in a sweatshirt so large for him that he had had to roll back the sleeves five times so as to be able to use his hands, and which fell past the knees of his extremely baggy jeans. I grabbed Harry and kept him stationary at my side, just in case he tried to do something stupid.

"I will not be spoken to like that!" Vermin howled, trembling with rage.

If Harry had had it his way, I figured that he would have already sent at least three wayward spells to Vermin. I wanted him to remain quiet and wait for Vermin to give his consent, but it quickly became clear that Harry wasn't going to stand for this. Ever since he had been accepted to Hogwarts I had noticed that it was gone were the days when he had been forced to take every single one of the Dursley's stupid rules. He wasn't following Dudley's diet, and he wasn't going to let Vermin stop him from going to the Quidditch World Cup, not if either one of us could help it.

Harry took a deep, steadying breath and then said, "Okay, I can't see the World Cup. Can I go now, then? Only I've got a letter to Sirius I want to finish. You know - my godfather."

For a moment I had really thought that Harry was going to say that it was fine that he didn't go to the World Cup. That was where I would have said something. But now I realized what he was planning on doing. Scaring and blackmailing Vermin into allowing him to go with us to the World Cup. It was obvious that he had done it. He had said the magic words. Now the two of us watched the purple recede blotchily from Vermin's face, making it look like badly mixed black currant ice cream. I had to look down at the floor to keep from laughing.

"Oh, that's right. We haven't talked to him in a while," I told Harry brightly.

It worked just as we expected it to. "You're - You're writing to him, are you?" Vermin asked, in a would-be calm voice - but I had seen the pupils of his tiny eyes contract with sudden fear.

"Well - yeah. It's been a while since he heard from me, and, you know, if he doesn't, he might start thinking something's wrong," Harry said casually.

"We've got a perfectly good place for him to stay, as a matter of fact. Maybe you'd like to meet him," I offered happily.

Vermin would have lost it if he had known in the first place that a convicted felon had been next door - even if for just a few hours - so that he could bond with his two godchildren. Made even worse by the fact that he was distantly related to Harry and was my neighbor. But to have Sirius come back, even if we could just get him to write a letter saying that he was on his way, I knew that it would be enough to convince Vermin. Harry and I stopped there to enjoy the effect of our words.

I could almost see the cogs working under Vermin's thick, dark, neatly parted hair. If he tried to stop Harry writing to Sirius, Sirius would think Harry was being mistreated. If he told Harry he couldn't go to the Quidditch World Cup, Harry would write and tell Sirius, who would know Harry was being mistreated. There was only one thing for Vermin to do. Grin and bear it. I could see the conclusion forming in Harry's uncle's mind as though the great mustached face were transparent. We both tried not to smile, to keep our own faces as blank as possible. And then Vermin spoke.

"Well, all right then. You can go to this ruddy... this stupid... this World Cup thing. You write and tell these - these Weasley's they're to pick you up, mind. I haven't got time to go dropping you off all over the country."

"They're coming here anyways," I said.

Vermin turned a heated glare on me before continuing. "And you can spend the rest of the summer there. And you can tell your - your godfather... tell him... tell him you're going."

"Okay then," Harry said brightly.

"Don't bother having him over," Vermin called after us.

"Not to worry. He'll only come if he thinks that Harry is being mistreated," I said.

"Right," Vermin said awkwardly.

Maybe it would be funny to have Sirius stop by for just a few minutes. Just to appear long enough for Vermin to see him and have a near heart attack. It might have been rather comical to see. Harry and I turned and walked toward the living room door, fighting the urge to jump into the air and whoop. We had just made things a lot easier on the two of us and the Weasley's. After everything the two of us were going... we were both going to the Weasley's, and Harry was going to get to watch his first Quidditch World Cup!

"Very well done, Mr. Potter," I teased, nudging Harry.

"And you as well, Miss Nox," Harry said, nudging me back.

"He's such an idiot," I laughed, rolling my eyes at Vermin's stupidity.

How could he have really thought that we would risk our godfather's safety to bring him back here just to threaten Vermin? Moron... "For once, that might actually work out in my favor," Harry pointed out.

He was right about that. As we walked past the living room, I arched a brow at myself. "You know that the Weasley's are probably going to come by Floo powder?" I asked.

"So?"

"So... you think that your family is completely accustomed to at least one fully grown woman erupting from your fireplace?"

It was something that hadn't dawned on me until right now. Should we have said something? I wouldn't have blamed the Dursley's if they were nervous from the sight of at least one adult woman walking out of their fireplace. But it might have also been a little funny to see them lose it at the sight of magic. Especially since they were still terrified of magic ever since Dudley had gotten a pig's tail on his butt from Hagrid when Harry had first met him. But maybe they wouldn't come by Floo. Maybe they would realize that that might frighten the Dursley's.

"Should we tell them what to expect?" Harry asked.

In the instance that the Weasley's did come by the Floo network, it might have been a little funny to watch them squirm. "Oh, come on, Harry. What fun would that be?" I teased.

"If that's what they do they're going to lose it," Harry said.

"Probably. But you'll be on your way out of the house anyways," I reasoned.

He would be just fine. The Weasley's would have almost a year to get rid their nasty thoughts about Harry. They would be back to normally hating him in no time. Outside in the hall the two of us nearly ran into Dudley, as we had been skipping down the hall towards his bedroom. It seemed that Dudley had been lurking behind the door, clearly hoping to overhear Harry and I being told off. Or maybe just Harry. Dudley and I were actually on rather good terms. Dudley looked shocked to see the broad grin on Harry's face. He had clearly been expecting a magnificent fight.

"That was an excellent breakfast, wasn't it? I feel really full, don't you?" Harry asked Dudley brightly.

For just a brief moment I felt a little bad. Dudley had actually been rather nice to me over the past few days. But that didn't excuse all of the months and years that he had been a horrible monster to Harry. Maybe if he got to be a little bit nicer in time I would feel a little differently about messing with him. Laughing at the astonished look on Dudley's face, Harry and I took the stairs three at a time, and hurled ourselves back into his bedroom. The two of us instantly slammed together into a somewhat painful hug. We had actually made this thing work.

"You are such a jerk," I laughed.

Harry chuckled through a nod. "So is he."

"That's true." As I seated myself on Harry's bed I could already hear Vermin and Horse-Face discuss being rid of their nephew for the rest of the summer. "But he gave me some surprisingly good advice on what to do with my parents," I said.

Harry looked shocked as he sat down next to me. "We're talking about the same Dudley Dursley here, right?"

"That's what I thought at first too."

"What'd he offer?"

"To tell Mom and Dad how I feel about Cedric," I said. I'd thought that Harry would roll his eyes but he merely arched an eyebrow in confusion, just the way that I had done. "Let them know that I really do care about him. It's not just the two of us fooling around with each other when no adults are around."

Harry stared at me for a few seconds. "You're sure that it was Dudley that you were talking to?"

"Short and stout? Just about as wide as he is tall?" I offered.

Harry laughed. "Fair enough."

Honestly Dudley was probably one of the most level-headed people right now. My parents had become furious with me and clearly weren't in the mood to act rationally. Harry wasn't giving much emotion but I could tell that he kind of liked the idea that Cedric and I might permanently be apart. As much as he might have loved me and wanted to support me, he would never like Cedric. I wasn't sure about Hermione and the Weasley's but I could assume that they would all probably think that our little road block was a good idea.

Harry jumped off of the bed and pushed himself underneath. "Want some cake?" he called up.

"Please," I chirped.

But he stopped when he spotted something. I glanced up and saw where he was looking. Clearly, he had realized that Hedwig was back. I should have figured, considering that Dai had arrived sometime over the night. Hedwig was now sitting in her cage, staring at Harry and I with her enormous amber eyes, and clicking her beak in the way that meant she was annoyed about something. I raised an eyebrow. What was she all upset about? Exactly what was annoying her became apparent almost at once.

Hoping to calm her down, I walked over and stroked back her ruffled white feathers. "Hi, Hedwig. How are you, girl?" I asked.

Hedwig hissed as I pet back her feathers. "Ouch!" Harry yelped as what appeared to be a small, gray, feathery tennis ball collided with the side of his head.

I glanced over at the whizzing ball of fluff. "What the hell is that?" I asked.

"I don't know."

That was when it dawned on me. I knew exactly what it was that had just hit Harry. "That's the damn bird that Sirius sent back with the letter on the Hogwarts Express. This is from Ron," I said, motioning to the letter the bird was carrying.

Harry massaged the spot that the owl had hit him furiously, looking up to see what had hit him. That was when he saw a minute owl, small enough to fit into the palm of his hand, whizzing excitedly around the room like a loose firework. The owl looked like it was going to slam into the walls. With my motioning, Harry then realized that the owl had dropped a letter at his feet. Harry bent down and motioned me over. Immediately I recognized Ron's handwriting and Harry tore open the envelope. Inside was a hastily scribbled note.

 _Harry and Tara - DAD GOT THE TICKETS - Ireland versus Bulgaria, Monday night. Mum's writing to the Muggles to ask you to stay. They might already have the letter, I don't know how fast Muggle post is. She's already talked to your parents, Tara. They know that we're coming and checked that we could take you. They said that it was no problem, so we'll see you tomorrow. Thought I'd send this with Pig anyway._

Pig? There weren't any pigs around here. Not that I had seen at least. I was sure that we would have heard Vermin or Horse-Face shrieking at the top of their lungs by now if there had been a pig here. Harry seemed to be staring at the word 'Pig,' too. Then he looked up at the tiny owl now zooming around the light fixture on the ceiling. I glanced up too. Could that have been the name of the little owl? That was stupid. I had never seen anything that looked less like a pig. Maybe I couldn't read Ron's writing. It was rather terrible. I went back to the letter:

 _We're coming for you whether the Muggles like it or not, you can't miss the World Cup, only Mum and Dad reckon it's better if we pretend to ask their permission first. If they say yes, send Pig back with your answer pronto, and we'll come and get you at five o'clock on Sunday. Mum says that Tara's parents will come to the house in two days. If they say no, send Pig back pronto and we'll come and get you at five o'clock on Sunday anyway._

 _Hermione's arriving this afternoon. Percy's started work - the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Don't mention anything about Abroad while you two are here unless you want the pants bored off you._

 _See you soon  
Ron._

One more day and we would be on our way to the Quidditch World Cup! I couldn't wait. "Calm down!" Harry yelled as the small owl flew low over his head, twittering madly with what I could only assume was pride at having delivered the letter to the right person. I snorted as I watched Harry chase the little owl around the room. "Come here, I need you to take my answer back!"

"He's kind of cute," I giggled.

"He's a pain," Harry grunted.

Perhaps I just thought that he was cute because he made me laugh, watching Harry have a terrible time trying to catch the little owl. I didn't care. It made me laugh. The little owl fluttered down on top of Hedwig's cage. Hedwig looked coldly up at it, as though daring it to try and come any closer. I gave Harry a slightly panicked look. The last thing that we needed was Hedwig eating Ron's owl. We already knew from experience what happened when Ron thought that something ate his pet. Harry seized his eagle feather quill once more, grabbed a fresh piece of parchment, and wrote:

 _Ron, it's all okay, the Muggles say I can come. See you five o'clock tomorrow. Can't wait._

 _Harry._

Harry was about to fold it up but I grabbed his arm and brought the letter back to me. "Give me it. I want to write something," I said.

Harry raised a brow and gave me the letter. "Here."

 _Please tell me that you're coming through the Floo network! I'd love to see the Dursley's reaction to that. Also, are you rooting for your boyfriend in the game? Come on, you know that Ireland is better! Tell Fred and George that I'll kill them if they're planning any jokes on me._

 _Can't wait to see everyone._

 _Love always,  
Tara._

Seeing Ron be around Viktor Krum would probably be hilarious. For once I could harass someone for their crush even though it wasn't a real crush. Maybe more of a fascination. Harry folded our notes up very small, and with immense difficulty, tied it to the tiny owl's leg as it hopped on the spot with excitement. I snorted under my breath as I watched the two of them. At least Harry was getting a good workout. The moment the note was secure, the owl was off again; it zoomed out of the window and out of sight.

That owl probably flew at least ten times faster than Hedwig or Dai did. Mostly because it was so damned excited. I laughed at the little owl as I glanced over to my window. I could see Dai sunning himself in the windowsill. He appeared quite frustrated at the sight of the little owl. He hissed at the small owl to keep it from coming to see him. I snorted to myself. Both of our owls were definitely on the snooty side. Harry rolled his eyes as I laughed before turning over to Hedwig, who was watching with a distasteful glare.

"Feeling up to a long journey?" Harry asked her. Hedwig hooted in a dignified sort of a way. I smiled at the owl. "Can you take this to Sirius for me?" Harry picked up his letter before taking it back. "Hang on... I just want to finish it."

Smiling at the large owl, I walked over to Harry's bed and plopped myself back down. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Hedwig ruffle her feathers importantly, making me smile. Harry unfolded the parchment and hastily added a postscript. I looked over his shoulder and read along curiously as he wrote.

 _If you want to contact either one of us, we'll be at our friend Ron Weasley's for the rest of the summer. His dad's gotten us tickets for the Quidditch World Cup!_ _Mr. Nox got the best seats for all of us because of his position at the Ministry. We're going to be right in the middle of the action! Tara says that it's going to be great._

Well that was definitely the best way to get in contact with us. I didn't know whether or not Mrs. Weasley and the rest of her family knew that Sirius was innocent. My parents hadn't talked much about it. I had a feeling that they hadn't told anyone yet while the hunt for Sirius was still in full swing. Perhaps they would tell more people once things calmed down on his front. With the letter to Sirius finished, Harry tied it to Hedwig's leg; she kept unusually still, as though determined to show him how a real post owl should behave. I snorted at her.

"I'll be at Ron's when you get back, all right?" Harry told her.

"Bye, Hedwig," I chirped.

Besides Dai, she was definitely my favorite owl around. I liked just about every owl more than I liked Hale, who was getting into his senior years. As much as my parents loved him, I couldn't wait until he finally moved on and we could get a new family owl. Hedwig nipped Harry's finger affectionately, shot over to me and nudged my shoulder playfully, then, with a soft swooshing noise, spread her enormous wings and soared out of the open window. Little did she know that she was eventually heading right back to where the little owl had come from.

"What time is it?" I asked curiously.

Harry glanced down at his watch. "A little past ten."

"Damn..." I had left shortly after nine. It was time for me to head back home to keep from getting into even more trouble. "I promised my parents that I would only be here for an hour or so. I should probably head out. Hopefully I'll be back soon," I said.

"Never thought that I'd say this but maybe you should follow Dudley's advice," Harry said.

"I think that I will. Can't make things worse, right?" I offered playfully.

"Just make sure that you can still make it to the World Cup, alright?"

"Of course. Save some cake for me?"

"Always. See you later," Harry said.

"See you," I chirped.

Maybe if I was lucky my parents would just let me go. Which would be great, because I didn't want to spend the rest of the day dealing with the awkward silences. Harry and I shared a quick hug before I headed back down the stairs, saying a quick parting word to the Dursley's before heading out the front door. They barely glanced at me. As I walked back into my house I noticed that my parents were sitting in the living room. They both glanced up at me as I walked in. I thought about heading to my bedroom for a moment before deciding to go with Dudley's advice.

So, I walked over to the couch where they were seated and rocked awkwardly back and forth. "Um -"

The two of them glanced up as I smiled dumbly. They clearly knew that I didn't know where to start the conversation. "Vernon and Petunia still on that diet for their son?" Dad asked.

I had told them about Dudley's diet early in the summer. "Yeah."

"Does Harry want any food?" Mom asked.

"He's already got a lot from us and everyone else," I said.

Never had we had such an awkward conversation between the three of us. "We've got some waffles for the two of you. Why don't you go over there and bring them to him? The two of you can share them," Mom said, pointing back to the kitchen.

My eyebrows shot up. They were offering me to go back to Harry's without me having to beg? "Really?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Of course," Mom said, smiling.

"Thanks," I said happily. I turned to head back to Harry's house before stopping and going back to the couch. We had to clear the air before the World Cup started and we were apart a lot. "Can we talk for a moment?"

"We'd like that," Dad said slowly.

They both remained seated as I tilted from side to side for a few moments, thinking about what I wanted to say. Finally, it came to me. "There's something that I want to tell you both before either one of you say anything else. I just want you to know that... I shouldn't have lied about Cedric and I's relationship. I know that. It was immature and I was doing it to save myself trouble. Nothing else." They both nodded at me appreciatively. "But I do want you to know that what I have with Cedric isn't just him convincing me to do things or taking advantage. That's not it at all."

They both looked a little bit uncomfortable but I didn't care right now. They needed to know what I thought about this. "I really care about him. He's really smart and funny and he thinks the world of me. We have a really good time together and bring out the best in each other. It's not just what the two of you saw in Diagon Alley. We study together all the time at Hogwarts. He actually manages to get me to do my work. He's good at History of Magic and Astronomy and he helps me study. I helped him study for his Arithmancy exam before he took his O.W.L.'s this year.

"It was one of the things that we spent the most time doing. And he's also a Prefect. Doesn't that mean something? He's a good influence. He always trying to talk me out of breaking the rules and making sure that I'm okay whenever I'm upset. He tries to stop me from doing things to put myself in danger - it's just because I don't listen. Yes, we took it a little too far out in Diagon Alley and I'm sorry about that. But I hope that you take into consideration what I just said. I like him as a person and I really want to be with him," I said, hoping that they would listen.

Was it the best speech that I had ever given? Probably not. But it was certainly one of the longest. All I knew for sure was that I had gotten everything off of my chest and it had been completely truthful. For once. I smiled awkwardly at my parents as I watched them look back and forth between the two of them, clearly wondering what came next for us. Neither one of them looked totally convinced, but they looked a lot less angry than they had been before. I guessed that not being furious with me was a step in the right direction.

Finally, Mom spoke up. "We appreciate the honesty. Honey, we know that you like Cedric and we know that he's a good boy. Yes, it does sound very hypocritical that we want you to wait before dating." I wanted to scoff but I knew that it would put me back to square one. So, I remained silent. "Mostly because we didn't wait. But, honey, we all want better for our kids."

"Shouldn't this be my mistake to make?" I asked carefully.

"One year, Tara. That's what we're asking. Wait until we waited to start seriously dating," Dad said.

One year was all that they were asking for... Well I certainly wasn't going to be treated like a baby for another year. I could manage it myself. Two weeks followed by two months next summer of pretending. I had managed it mostly pretty well this year. I could do it next year too. I would be at Hogwarts for most of that time anyways and I knew that no one there cared enough to write to my parents and tell them the truth about what I was doing. Yes. I didn't like what they were asking for but I could easily just lie to them as I had done before. Childish but effective.

So, I finally said, "Okay."

Mom and Dad exchanged a suspicious look. "We have your word?" Mom asked.

"You have my word," I lied.

"You know that we're doing this because we love and care about you, right? We want you to be happy and that means being a little more mature before hopping into that first relationship," Mom said.

"Of course," I said.

And in my own way, I did know that my parents were trying to help me. I knew that they were trying to keep me from getting too involved with someone when I was so young and getting my heart broken. It was good of them to try and help me out the way that they were doing. I just didn't like the way that they were going about it. When it came down to it, this was my mistake to make and I was planning on making it. I cared too much about Cedric to stop dating him. If we did, the choice was going to be ours, not theirs.

"Thank you for understanding, Tara," Dad said.

"We like Cedric. We really do. We'd just like the two of you to take a step back," Mom said.

"I understand," I said.

Dad stepped forward and laid a hand on my shoulder. "That means watching yourself when you're around him."

"Watching myself?" I repeated dumbly.

"Just mind the boundaries that we'd like to set," he explained.

"Which are?" I asked.

Now this conversation I had been expecting once they had found out the truth. "Not having the two of you alone somewhere that we can't look over you. We'd like you both to be fully supervised around each other. For a while we don't even think that the two of you should be speaking. Spend some time apart. Definitely no more physical contact the way that you've already had. Be friends for a while longer," Mom explained.

Well that was going to be a big fat no on all points. "Longer than three years?" I muttered.

"Let's not go back on the progress that we've already made," Mom said. I let out a deep breath and nodded. "You've managed three years as friends. I think that you can manage one more."

"If he likes you as much as he seems to, he won't mind waiting," Dad added.

"Yeah. You're right," I said lowly.

It was very likely that he was right. Cedric wouldn't have minded waiting another year for me. But I minded. The three of us sat around for a little while smiling very tersely at each other. It wasn't because the three of us were super happy with each other right now. Even after everything, our relationship was still incredibly tense. I knew that what I was planning to do was the exact same problem that had brought all of this in in the first place, but I really didn't care. In the end, I wasn't going to stop being with Cedric. I liked being with him.

"When are you going to give me a chance to speak with him?" I asked as carefully as possible.

"I assume that the two of you will run into each other at some point at the Quidditch World Cup," Mom said. I pushed back a grin. An excellent time to sneak off... "You can have a conversation about it then."

"And you'll let me talk to him alone?" I asked.

"We'll watch from a distance," Dad said.

Or not. "I'm not going to run off with him," I snapped.

"Tara... please don't push," Mom breathed.

 _Stop it, moron. Let them think that you're agreeing to their rules._ "Okay. Sorry," I mumbled.

There was a brief, awkward silence. "Arthur still coming to get you kids tomorrow?" Dad finally asked.

"Yes. Ron sent the letter," I said.

"That's good." I nodded blankly. "Just so you know, we're having them go to the Dursley's house. They'll have some of the kids with them so they'll likely be traveling by the Floo network," Dad explained.

"You know that's going to terrify the Dursley's?" I pointed out.

"Of course, it will," Dad said, grinning.

There was some of his old personality shining through. "Can't wait to see that," I said, grinning wickedly. "You coming with us tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow," Mom said, which was fine by me. "We're going to be at the World Cup starting tomorrow afternoon, so we'll drop you off over at the Dursley's before we go. You'll go with them and we'll meet up with you all when you get there in two days." I nodded. "Afterwards we'll all enjoy the Cup together. That'll be fun. After the Cup you'll go back to the Weasley's for the week while we work on cleaning up the stadium. You'll come home on the weekend. We'll meet you all the morning of September first to go with you all to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."

That meant that most of the remainder of my summer break would be without them, which made me perfectly happy. "Sounds like a plan. So, I'm only spending one more weekend at home?" I asked.

"That's the idea right now since we'll be out of the house and away so much over the next two weeks," Dad said.

"Fine by me. I miss the Weasley's," I said happily.

"That means that you'll be staying at the Burrow," Dad snapped.

Good to know that they now had absolutely no trust in me. "Oh, relax. I'm not going to sneak out for a midnight rendezvous with Cedric while I'm there. I'm going to spend it with them," I said honestly.

And I really wasn't lying about that. I did plan to spend the remainder of my summer at the Weasley's. "It's going to take time for us to trust you again," Mom pointed out.

"I know," I said.

"Listen, honey, we made some extra waffles this morning for the two of you," Mom said. She got to her feet, walked into the kitchen, grabbed a plate of cold waffles, and handed them to me. "Why don't you go bring these to Harry? Entertain him for a day before he finally escapes the Dursley's."

"He'll appreciate that," I said, taking the waffles with a grin. "Thanks. I'll be back for dinner."

"Okay," Dad said.

"Tell Harry we said hello," Mom called after me.

"I will," I shouted back.

Did they really believe me? I always had prided myself on being a good liar. This was one of those moments. I headed out of the house, practically skipping along, grinning at the massive stupidity of my parents. Of course, I wasn't going to stay away from Cedric for another year. Two more weeks of being extremely careful of what I said and did around my parents. That was all that I needed to do. After that I was home free. The moment that I got on the Hogwarts Express, though, I was planning on giving Cedric the biggest, most intense, kiss that I ever had.

Third Person P.O.V.

Back at the Nox household, Marcus and Julia Nox were sitting together on their couch, Julia leaned up against her husband. "You know that she's lying to us, right?" Julia asked her husband.

Marcus laughed. "Oh, of course I do."

"The first thing that she's going to do when she gets some freedom is head right back for him."

If it had been Marcus, he would have done the exact same thing that he knew his daughter was planning on doing. "She will. But she's getting a little bit older. She's going to be at Hogwarts without us. We can't just watch over her at all times. Of course, I don't want to let her just run rampant with him," Marcus said, shuddering at the thought.

They both knew what boys Cedric's age were thinking of, and neither were comfortable with it. "No, but I trust her a little more than that. I really doubt that they've gone that far," Julia said.

Marcus twitched slightly. "Yes, I don't either," he agreed hesitantly.

"Perhaps that day might come eventually but that's something that we can deal with when the time comes," Julia said. Marcus twitched again as his wife laid a hand against his leg comfortingly. "Right now, it's more about the fact that I don't think that she's ready yet."

"She's just so young. I'd prefer her to wait until she's fifteen or sixteen."

"You'd prefer her to wait until she's sixty," Julia pointed out.

She was completely right about that. "After knowing the way that Sirius, Remus, James, and I acted during our own days at Hogwarts... yes, I'd much rather she waits until she's sixty and I'm long dead," Marcus said.

He smiled as his wife giggled softly. "To his credit, Cedric is a good boy," she admitted.

"Yes, I've always liked him," Marcus said slowly.

"Until now?" Julia asked.

"Until now," Marcus confirmed. "But I see what Tara means about him. He really does help her out in school. The two of them seem to be good friends. I just wish that I didn't have to see... that."

No father wanted to think of his daughter with her boyfriend. "It's never easy to see your little girl start to grow up."

"What do you think?"

Julia was silent for a moment before saying, "As much as it pains me to say this, I think that maybe it's time to let Tara make her own mistakes. She's going to have to start making them at some point or another. But we can't always protect her. Just be there to pick up the pieces. Although... I'd prefer to keep the two of them apart over the summer. We can watch over them and when they're in school they'll have the teachers at least keeping some distance."

"Remember when you said that having a kid would be fun?" Marcus asked.

"Oh, shut up," Julia snapped, whacking her husband over the back of the head. Marcus laughed. "The lying and sneaking around... I wonder who she got that from?"

"You."

Julia laughed again. "Time to let her make her own mistake?"

"She's almost fifteen. We can't look after her forever. She'll come to us when the time is right."

"We raised a good kid. She's just got a penchant for breaking the rules."

It was a trait that she got from both of her parents. But Marcus could never resist an opportunity to mess with his wife. "That's probably because her mother used to always sneak into the restricted section of the library to meet up with her boyfriend before she was ready for the rest of her friends to know that they were dating," he said.

Julia scowled at her husband. That was _absolutely_ his idea. "And who was it that talked me into that?" she hissed.

"Certainly not me," Marcus said innocently, making them both laugh.

Tara's P.O.V.

As I walked back over to Harry's house, I took my time, plotting a chance to get away with Cedric during the World Cup and telling him the truth of what was happening. Not some diluted truth my parents wanted me to give him. So, I walked back into the Dursley's house with a smile plastered on my face, blatantly ignoring their questions on why I was back already. They didn't bother me when I jumped up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and walked into Harry's bedroom without knocking as I so often did. Harry stared at me in surprise s I plopped onto his bed.

"Back already?" he asked.

"It was actually kind of nice, Harry. The three of us sat down and had a chat about Cedric and I," I said.

"They're going to let you date him?" Harry asked, shocked.

Snorting under my breath, I shook my head. "Of course not. Don't be stupid. They're not going to let the two of us date until at least another year passes and I'm not waiting that long. I lied to them and told them that I'd stop seeing him and take it slow," I explained.

Harry was silent for a moment before asking, "Do you see how we're getting back to the original problem?"

This time I wasn't going to get caught. "It's a good idea. They can't be that stupid. They know that I'll go right back to being with him once we get back to Hogwarts," I pointed out.

They had to know the truth. They were just ignoring it. "So, you're just planning on ignoring the problem in the meantime?" Harry asked.

"Pretty much," I said.

"He'll be there at the World Cup, won't he?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You two think that you can manage to keep your hands off each other for an entire few days?"

My eyes narrowed into little slits. "Hah-hah. I've got better self-control than you think that I do," I snapped.

Harry raised a brow and leaned down, grabbing something. "Sugar Quill?" he offered.

"Now that's not fair. Using my one weakness against me," I groaned.

The one thing that I would never be able to resist... Harry laughed as I reached over and snatched the Sugar Quill from him, shoving him back against the bed. Harry laughed as he sat back up, grabbing the Sugar Quill and snapped it in half for the two of us to share. Harry managed to pull out all of the food from underneath his floorboards for us to eat - his last meal, in a way. We spent most of the day laying back on the bed together, chatting about the Quidditch World Cup and all that it would be. It was one of the happiest that I could remember being over the summer.

We sat together on the floor as we ate some of the last bits of birthday cake he had, savoring the happiness that was flooding through ourselves. The two of us had cake, and Dudley had nothing but grapefruit; it was a bright summer's day, we would be leaving Privet Drive tomorrow, Harry's scar and my hand felt perfectly normal again, and we were going to watch the Quidditch World Cup. Not to mention that I had a plan to get back with Cedric without my parents knowing. It was hard, just now, to feel worried about anything - even Lord Voldemort.

 **A/N:** _As Harry and Tara prepare for the Quidditch World Cup and Tara tries to mend her relationships with her parents and Cedric, the relatively peaceful air is interrupted by the surprising arrival of the Weasley's._ Hope you guys liked this one! Kind of a filler and the next one kind of will be too. The action will pick up again after that. Thanks for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **stephanielau: Glad that you liked the chapter! I had fun writing it. Isn't that funny how closely they resemble each other? Cedric is also one of my favorite characters and I've always felt like he was so underutilized. Hence why he's a major character in my story. Can't promise whether or not I'll kill him but I hope that you liked this chapter!**

 **Son of Whitebeard: I'm glad that you did! A lot of it I got off of Pottermore, so it should be accurate. Hope you liked this one!**

 **.2018: I can't promise on whether or not I'll kill off Cedric. If I choose not to, there's a chance that he could be endgame. Like I said though, no promises! Hope you liked this one!**

 **422: Oh, I know! But there had to be some drama, I just couldn't resist. Not to fear, Tara and Cedric can't stay away from each other long. Hope you liked this one!**


	4. Back to the Burrow

Much of the following morning ended up being spent packing up my things. I was as useless with packing as I had always been, waiting until the last moment to run around and shove all of the things back in my suitcases. My parents were planning on Apparating them over to the Burrow in the morning so that I didn't have to worry about bringing them with me today. Harry would already have all of his things. If I brought all of my things with us, we would start running out of room. Plus, I had a lot more things than Harry did.

As much as I would soon wish that I wasn't in school with all of the studying that I had to do, I was thrilled to be getting to go to the Weasley's for a few weeks. I missed them all. And I really missed getting to work with the twins on their eventual joke shop, which had apparently gotten along pretty well since I had last seen them. I did love my parents, but I really didn't want to have to hang out with them for the next two weeks. Especially with the whole Cedric debacle. It was going to be good to hang out with the rest of my friends and harass the twins again.

Their business plan was some of the first things that I had ended up packing away. I wanted to make sure that I didn't lose anything. I constantly kept copies of everything that they did in the instance that their mother found their things and tossed them in the trash, which we knew she would do if she found anything. I was about halfway through packing all of my things when the Muggle cell phone began to ring. I dropped in my last few books and walked over to my bedside table, picking it up. There was only one person that it could be.

"Freddie? What's up?" I answered.

"Tara!" Fred's voice called.

"Wonderful to hear your voice!" George's near-identical voice called through the phone. "Since Fred's been hogging you all summer."

I could practically see the scowl on his face. "Have not!" Fred yelled at his twin.

"Georgie!" I chirped happily. I did talk to Fred slightly more than I talked to George, but I loved them both dearly. "Can't wait to see you boys, as much as I'm sure what I'll regret saying that."

"Now, now, Tara," Fred said.

"Have a little faith," George teased.

The only thing that I had faith in was that Fred and George were sure to do something to me while I was sleeping, just the way that they always did. "Are you two coming to get Harry and me?" I asked the twins.

"Yep. We're coming with Dad and Ron," Fred said.

"Awesome!" I chirped.

It would be wonderful to see the two of them get to meet the Dursley's, seeing as they'd heard so much about them from Harry and I. "You'll get to finally meet Bill and Charlie, too," George added.

"Are they at the Burrow?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah. Got in a few days ago," Fred explained.

"Cool," I said. I'd always wanted to meet the other two Weasley brothers. "Hey, I meant to ask you two. How are you getting here?"

"Don't know," Fred said.

"Dad said he arranged something," George added.

"That ought to be good," I snorted.

Seeing what Mr. Weasley thought would be a good idea to arrive at a Muggles' house (who notoriously hated wizards) would be absolutely fascinating. "We meant to ask you, Tara. Is Harry's cousin still on that diet?" Fred asked.

Dudley would likely stay on that diet until the end of his life. "Yeah. Barely getting more than one grapefruit a day but it's not doing much good. Doesn't look like he's lost anything more than his spirit," I snorted. It had been miserable for him since the end of the year. I knew that he couldn't wait for school to start up again so he could get dessert in their cafeteria. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing to worry yourself with," George said.

His voice held a teasing note to it. What the hell were the two of them planning? "That sounds ominous," I commented.

"Tara!" Mom's voice came from downstairs. "Who are you talking to?"

"Shit," I muttered.

"Language, Tara," Fred teased.

"Shut up," I snapped, moving towards my dresser. "They're not supposed to know that I have this phone. They'll get all paranoid that I'm talking to Cedric."

There was some chattering coming from their end of the phone. "What do you -?"

"More on that later," I interrupted Fred. "See you later, boys!"

"Bye, Tara," the twins chirped.

Barely waiting for the twins to finish saying goodbye, I snapped the cell phone shut and flung it back into my dresser. I wouldn't need it until next summer anyway. As I slammed my dresser drawer shut, I darted over and flung myself back on top of all of my things. My parents didn't know about the phone and I was sure that they would take it if they realized that I had one. Even though I used it only to talk to the twins, they would probably get the idea that I was talking to Cedric. As I began moving my books around, my bedroom door swung open.

"Were you talking to someone?" Mom asked curiously.

"Myself. Sorry," I lied.

To my surprise, she didn't push it. She merely smiled and strode further into the room. "You know, they say the first sign of going insane is talking to yourself," she teased, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Oh, I think we're long past that point," I joked.

We both laughed softly. I was being honest. We really were long past the point of me being somewhat sane. I had lost that after my First Year at Hogwarts. I smiled at my mother as we both sat back on the bed. I could feel the slightly awkward air in the room. We both loved each other but things were tense after the massive fight that we had gotten into over Cedric. She glanced over all of my packed things before her eyes landed on my pictures on my bedside table. The few that I hadn't packed yet, anyways.

Her eyes fell on the picture of Cedric and me in front of the Leaky Cauldron. To my surprise, a small smile fell over her face. "That's a nice picture," she said.

"I'm not getting rid of it," I responded.

It was one of my favorite pictures. "I'm not asking you to," Mom said. The two of us stared at each other as she let out a little breath. "I know you care for him, darling. He's a handsome boy. If I were in your place, I would have had a crush on him too."

For a long time, I didn't know how to respond. All I wanted to tell her was that it was obvious that I had a crush on Cedric. Everyone had a crush on him. All of the girls thought that he was adorable and the boys all thought that he was wonderful. Most of the people in Hogwarts liked him, at least. I had just been the one lucky enough to earn his affections. Something that I hadn't thought was possible for a long time. Something that I refused to let either one of my parents take from me.

"It's not just me," I finally said, settling on how I wanted to go about the conversation. "Most of the girls in Hogwarts have a crush on him."

"Must be nice to be the one who earned his affections," Mom commented, echoing what I had just thought.

Blushing slightly, I nodded. "Yeah. It was. Especially since I used to get called out by Pansy Parkinson, Draco Malfoy, and Cho Chang for my crush on him. They would always say that he didn't care about me; he was just too nice to let me down easily," I said. Mom frowned. She knew how much Malfoy and I fought. "It was nice to get to throw him back in their faces."

"Just for that?" Mom asked curiously.

"No," I snapped quickly. "I really like him."

And it was the truth. I adored Cedric. "I can see that," Mom said, smiling fondly. "You're a good liar, Tara. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Yeah."

Lying was one of my many talents. "Guess what? Back in her day, your mother was a good liar too. I kept a lot of secrets from my parents because I thought that I was protecting them. I realized as I got older that I wasn't protecting them. I was protecting myself," Mom said pointedly. I arched a brow, unsure where this was going. "I like Cedric very much. I think he's a good influence on you."

Was she really telling me that she liked and approved of Cedric? I knew that she didn't. She only liked Cedric when the two of us had been friends. The moment that she realized that we had actually gotten romantically tangled, she had ended up hating him. But now it seemed that she had changed gears again. She was telling me that she liked him and that she thought that he was a good influence on me. She hadn't really thought that when she had caught the two of us locking lips in Diagon Alley the other day.

"You didn't think that yesterday," I commented softly.

"No," she agreed. "But I had time to think and calm down."

Did that mean what I thought that it meant? I wasn't sure so I decided to go with it. "So... you're okay with it?" I asked carefully.

Did I at least get one of their permission? That would help a little bit. "Not necessarily okay with it. But I stayed up very late last night thinking about everything," Mom explained. I nodded at her. "Your father will never budge on his position. He'll feel better when the year is up. You'll have owned up to your end of the promise and he'll have nothing to come back to you with."

"In the meantime?" I asked carefully.

A grin fell over her face. "Try and be a little sneakier."

The two of us stared at each other before we began laughing hysterically. I knew that there was a reason the two of us got along so well. It was because we were essentially the same person. She had lied to her parents about her first relationship just the same way that I had. She understood exactly where it was that I was coming from. She might not have liked it, but she did understand it. The two of us moved forward as I wrapped her in a hug. We might have argued a lot but she was always there for me when it counted.

"Thanks, Mom," I said happily.

She smiled down lovingly at me. "You're welcome. I'll see if I can try and get him to budge," Mom promised. I grinned softly. "If not, it's only two weeks."

"Yeah, I know."

That was one parent down that was okay with my relationship with Cedric. Now it was Dad's turn. Although I knew that it would be much harder to get him to budge on the whole relationship. He would always be paranoid about what was happening with the two of us. He would never want the two of us to be alone in a room together. But that was too bad. I was getting older and ready to date. Plus there was the simple fact that he couldn't look after me while I was at Hogwarts. He was just going to have to trust me.

We sat in silence for a little while before Mom spoke again. "You know, part of why I was so upset was because I wanted to know that my daughter felt like she could talk to me about boyfriend problems. I want you to be able to talk to me," Mom said quietly.

My heart sank. I loved my mother and wanted to be able to talk to her about boyfriend problems. "I wanted to be able to talk to you about it," I said.

"You can," Mom promised, giving me her hand.

The two of us sat together as I smiled at her. At least now I could talk to her about what was happening with Cedric. "I was telling the truth, you know. We've never... done that," I said awkwardly.

"I know. So does your father," Mom said. At least someone knew that we weren't to that point. "If it ever gets to that point, you're more than welcome to talk to me about it."

"We're not there yet," I promised.

"Keep it that way, please. You're far too young for that," Mom said.

"On that much, we agree," I muttered.

As much as I really cared for Cedric and really enjoyed our time together, there was no way that I was ready for that. I did enjoy the nights that we spent together - which I knew sounded terrible - but those were mostly innocent. The two of us enjoyed our time together. Laying in the Astronomy Tower or hanging out in the Prefect bathroom on the fifth floor. I thought about mentioning something to Mom about those nights but ultimately decided against it. Perhaps that was a conversation for a little later on down the road.

Eventually, Mom's gaze shifted toward my desk chair. Her eyes locked onto the Hufflepuff scarf sitting there and I blushed as she grinned. "Since when were you Sorted into Hufflepuff?" she asked playfully.

"He gave it to me. Come to think of it, I actually have a lot of his things. Coats and sweaters and scarves. Mostly because I'm always cold," I laughed, glad that I had packed all of his things.

It was really time to give him his clothes back. "A gentleman. I like it," Mom said. We both smiled as I nodded. He really was a gentleman. "How do your friends feel about him?"

Snorting under my breath, I shook my head. "They don't love it. They think that he's too old and basically the same things that you were thinking. They just don't like him because he's handsome and popular and smart. Honestly, Harry and Ron are worse about it than you two are. They always roll their eyes and walk away. Hermione's the one person who thinks it's cute," I said happily. At least someone didn't mind my relationship. "The twins gave him the nickname 'Pretty-Boy Diggory' to show their distaste."

But that nickname was made before I showed up at Hogwarts. "Fred doesn't like him, then?" Mom asked curiously.

"No. But he never has," I explained. Was there a particular reason that she had only mentioned Fred? "Why?"

"Just curious," Mom said quickly. "He's been a good friend to you."

A small grin appeared on my face. I would always love the twins. They were some of my favorite people. "Yeah. Fred's the best. George, too," I added as a last minute thought. "They're kind of a package deal."

"Hmm... probably not with everything," Mom pointed out.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter," Mom said quickly. "Do you want help packing?"

"Sure. Where's Dad?"

"Out at the World Cup sight. He'll be back to see you off before you head to the Dursley's."

"Okay."

That was fine by me. I was glad to not have Dad around right now. At least with Mom here, I could tell her all about Cedric. She walked over and started helping me pack up the final few things that were still laying around the room as I told her all about my budding relationship with Cedric. I started back with the first few flirtations that we had had over the past few years, particularly those in my Second Year, to telling her about that first date in Hogsmeade and ultimately how my feelings for him had escalated from that little crush I'd formed in Madam Malkin's.

She had seemed absolutely fascinated about the entire relationship. She had clearly enjoyed the stories of the early stages of our relationship. All of those little flirtations that we had shared and the many times that I hadn't known what they meant. She obviously liked those moments when we had kept our relationship a secret from everyone. She liked the stories about the kisses that we had shared when no one else was watching. She had gotten a good laugh out of the fact that our relationship had come out when I had excitedly kissed him after winning the Quidditch Cup.

My mother even spent some time telling me about her own escapades during her days in Hogwarts. Apparently, she had been quite the little rebel. Unlike me, she rarely got caught when she had gone out breaking the rules. Just like with my own time at Hogwarts, she apparently really liked sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet up with boyfriends - my own father, at least. Which was kind of gross but kind of funny at the same time. Turned out that they also had a fondness for the Astronomy Tower. We had both laughed long and hard over that one.

We both seemed to have such a wonderful time talking together. It was the first time in a long time that I felt like I didn't have to hide anything from her. We just got to chat back and forth about the things that I had always wanted to talk to her about. Everything with Cedric. The things that confused me about him and the things that I was thrilled with about our relationship. Just before noon, after we had finished packing, I was slightly surprised to see Rusty float in through my window. I smiled as the owl landed on my lap.

"Whose owl is that?" Mom asked curiously.

"Cedric's," I answered.

The grin turned up on her mouth. She clearly thought that the whole relationship was adorable. "Ah," she said, standing from the edge of the bed. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Okay." She was halfway towards the door when I called her back. "Mom? Thanks, seriously."

She smiled. "You're welcome, Tara."

Once she was gone, I turned to Rusty. "Thank you, Rusty."

The owl hooted at me for a few moments. I had always liked Rusty. He seemed so happy for an owl. I pulled Rusty over towards Dai's cage and let him hop inside. Rusty was one of the few owls that Dai tolerated - Hedwig and Hale being the other two. I grabbed the letter from Rusty and slit it open. I perched myself on the edge of the chair at my desk and unfolded it. Cedric's letters were traditionally very long and detailed. To my surprise, this one was only a few lines long. I began reading over it with a smile.

Tara,

I really do hope that this reaches you and not your parents. Especially not while you're around them. I just wanted to tell you that Dad and I are getting ready to head to the Quidditch World Cup tomorrow. You're still being allowed to go, aren't you?

In the event that I don't get to talk to you before we actually get settled, there's a water spigot not far from where the tents are. If you can, meet me there at midnight.

You bad influence.

Cedric.

Needless to say, a broad grin appeared on my face. I was thrilled to see that Cedric had written me a letter. Honestly, I hadn't been expecting him to speak to me until we returned to Hogwarts - or if I was lucky and ran into him at the Quidditch World Cup. He was taking a massive risk even writing me the letter. If Mom hadn't forgiven me for the lie, she would have taken the letter and probably burned it. If Dad had seen it, he would have lost his mind. I would have to make sure that the letter was locked away somewhere that he couldn't potentially find it.

It had been two days since I had last spoken to Cedric. It might have seemed a little silly, but after being with him almost constantly over the summer, I really missed speaking to him. So I read over the letter two or three times. His last comment was the one that kept making me smile. When it came down to it, I supposed that I really was a bad influence on him. I was probably a bad influence on everyone. And that was part of what made our relationship as fun as it was. I pulled out a blank piece of parchment and wrote my response quickly.

Cedric,

No worries. Dad's at the World Cup already. The Weasley's are coming to get Harry and me in a few hours and we'll head to the Cup in the morning. My parents will be there but I can manage to slip away for a little while. I'll be there at midnight. We've got a lot to talk about, anyway.

You're right, I am a bad influence. But that's what makes me fun, right?

See you tomorrow,  
Tara.

A midnight rendezvous with Cedric. Those were my favorite kinds of rendezvous. At least, when it came to meeting up with him. Hopefully, I would be able to sneak out of the tent to meet up with him. The good thing was that I was staying with the Weasley's at night. My parents wouldn't even be around there. As long as the twins didn't overhear me leaving in the middle of the night, I would be just fine. Even if they did run into me on the way out, I could either lie to them and say I was just thirsty or bribe them into leaving me alone.

Perhaps I would be able to get away with this. I folded the letter with my answer up and handed it back to Rusty. I had to send him off before Dad came back. He knew Rusty. It would just make things terrible all over again. As Rusty fluttered off through the window, I found myself tingling with excitement at the thought of seeing Cedric alone again. It was something I was so looking forward to. There was a part of me that loved the thrill of sneaking around with him and potentially getting caught. I supposed that it was the Gryffindor in me.

In the next five minutes, I had packed up the final things in my room and was ready to leave. I tossed Cedric's Hufflepuff scarf on the top of my trunk before closing it and moving it into the corner of my room. There was a broad smile on my face and it was for multiple things. Heading to the Burrow, the eventual Quidditch World Cup, and meeting up with Cedric tomorrow night. I couldn't wait for any of it. After feeling like a complete moron for the past two days, I was thrilled for things to start looking up again.

"Tara!" Mom's voice floated from downstairs.

"Yeah?" I called back.

"Got all your things packed?" Mom asked.

"Got them! They're sitting in the corner of my room!" I shouted down to her.

"Wonderful," Mom chirped.

Grabbing the last few things that I needed for the day, I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and pulled on some sneakers. There wasn't much that I needed from the house for the night. Plus I knew that we would be waking up early in the morning. All I was planning on doing was changing into my new clothes and trying not to fall onto my ass as we headed out to the World Cup. Pulling my backpack into my hands, I turned on my heel and left the room, heading towards the stairs and bounding down them. Mom and Dad were waiting for me downstairs.

"We'll make sure to grab everything when we head to the Burrow in the morning," Mom said as I walked into the living room.

"Okay," I said.

"Going to Harry's?" Dad asked, eyeing my bag.

Mom and I exchanged a look and smiled at each other. I trusted her to talk to him. "Yeah. We're going to wait there for the Weasley's to come. It should be fun," I said somewhat blankly. "How's the Cup coming along?"

"It's coming. Starting to look like we might actually be able to put everything together in time. You'll love it, you know," Dad said kindly.

"Oh, I'm sure I will," I said.

"We'll all have a good time," Mom put in.

Things would be awkward between us for a while, but we would manage. "Yeah," I muttered.

"Have fun with the Weasley's, darling," Mom said, dismissing me from their presence.

"Oh, I'm sure that I will. I'll tell everyone that you two said hello," I called back.

"Thanks. We'll be at the Burrow by the time that you're ready to leave in the morning," Mom told me.

"Awesome. See you tomorrow, guys," I chirped.

"See you tomorrow, love," Mom said.

"Bye, kiddo. Behave yourself," Dad warned.

Of course... He must have still been convinced that I was going to try and find Cedric and spend some time with him. Which ultimately wasn't a lie. I grabbed my overnight things in a bag sitting against the door and threw it on over my shoulders, darting from the house, a broad grin spread over my face. I was so excited about the World Cup. I made my way across my own lawn and into the Dursley's, knowing that they would hate me stepping on their perfectly-manicured grass. I walked up to their door and knocked. Vermin growled when he opened it and realized that it was me.

"He's upstairs," Vermin said.

His own pleasant way of greeting me. "Figured," I deadpanned.

"I expect complete silence!" Vermin warned.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll be quiet," I growled.

He was really the biggest pain in the ass. We had no intention of being loud and annoying. We were just trying to keep ourselves out of trouble until we got the Burrow. So, I walked through the house, spotting Horse-Face and Dudley. While Horse-Face appeared to be cleaning every nook and cranny (probably to impress the Weasley's), Dudley seemed to be terrified. I rolled my eyes at the Dursley's fear of the Weasley's and headed upstairs and into Harry's room. At least we would be able to laugh at their fear together.

As I walked into his room, Harry perked up. He appeared to be in the midst of packing. "Hi," I chirped.

"Hey!" Harry grinned, jumping to his feet and meeting me in a hug. "You're here already?"

"Sure am! I was getting bored sitting at home," I said honestly.

"Are your parents at home?" Harry asked curiously.

"Mom's still at home but she's heading out to the World Cup with Dad soon. Dad's already been there; I think he got there pretty early this morning. He came back long enough to say goodbye and warn me to be careful. I guess they're both going to be heading out soon. They'll meet up with us on the way tomorrow," I explained.

"You ready for that?" Harry asked curiously.

To try and dodge my parents while meeting up with Cedric? Just another day in my life. "Yeah. I'll be ready to potentially slip away," I joked.

Harry's eyebrow raised. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"I'm well aware that it's not a good idea," I said honestly. If I managed to get caught on my midnight rendezvous, I'd really be in for it. "Let's move on to something else, shall we?" Harry rolled his eyes. "What time did you start packing?"

It looked like he'd barely started. "A few hours ago," Harry answered vaguely.

We both knew that it meant he had just barely started. "Want some help?" I offered.

"I'd love it," Harry said happily.

There was no doubt in my mind that this was the happiest part of Harry's summer vacation. Getting to pack up and get ready to start Hogwarts again. It was also one of my favorite times of the year. I couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts for another year of mayhem and mischief. Even though Harry and I couldn't use magic, we made a game out of packing. Throwing things across the room and into the trunks. It made for good Quidditch practice since we couldn't really use our brooms in the middle of the almost entirely Muggle community.

Within a few minutes, we were having an excellent time. It was needless to say that we were much happier here than the Dursley's were downstairs. They were biting their fingernails in distress at having an entire, and quite large, magical family in their living room. We were both thrilled to be getting to go to the Quidditch World Cup - which meant getting away from our families a few weeks early. Harry had always enjoyed getting away from the Dursley's. While I usually liked my parents, I was sick of their overbearing attitudes. Mostly Dad's, with the entire Cedric debacle.

By twelve o'clock that afternoon, Harry's school trunk was packed with his school things and all his most prized possessions - the Invisibility Cloak he had inherited from his father, the broomstick he had gotten from Sirius, and the enchanted map of Hogwarts he had been given by Fred and George Weasley last year. The Marauder's Map - which Dad would freak out about if he knew that we had it. He likely still thought that Filch had it in his office and was still fighting to learn how it worked. We had been forced to jam everything into his trunk since he seemed to be acquiring more things with each year.

The two of us had emptied his hiding place under the loose floorboard of all food, double checked every nook and cranny of his bedroom for forgotten spell books or quills, and taken down the chart on the wall counting down the days to September the first, on which he liked to cross off the days remaining until his return to Hogwarts. We spent some time eating the remaining food since it would spoil by the time that we were ready to return to Hogwarts. At least, when we got to the Burrow, Harry wouldn't have to worry about only getting a grapefruit for breakfast.

Since I did have some things with me for the overnight stay in the Burrow, Harry had been nice enough to allow me to keep some of my things with his own trunk. Once we were completely packed - and had checked three times to see if we'd missed anything - we debated on heading downstairs. But things were too awkward and we ultimately decided to stay upstairs. Neither one of us really wanted to be around the Dursley's for the next few hours with their scowls and nervous ticks. I just wanted to see the looks on their faces when they saw how the Floo network functioned.

Even being hidden away upstairs, I could still tell that the atmosphere inside number four, Privet Drive was extremely tense. Perhaps it was because I could hear the muttering of the Dursley family downstairs. The imminent arrival at their house of an assortment of wizards was making the Dursley's uptight and irritable. Last night had been one of the most amusing times of my life since I always liked seeing Vermin flustered. Harry's uncle had looked downright alarmed when Harry informed him that the Weasley's would be arriving at five o'clock the very next day.

"I hope you told them to dress properly, these people. I've seen the sort of stuff your lot wear. They'd better have the decency to put on normal clothes, that's all," Vermin had snarled at once.

The two of us had exchanged a look with each other and I knew that Harry had felt a slight sense of foreboding. Neither one of us had ever seen Mr. or Mrs. Weasley wearing anything that the Dursley's would call 'normal.' Their children might don Muggle clothing during the holidays, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley usually wore long robes in varying states of shabbiness. Of course, we weren't bothered about what the neighbors would think, but we were both anxious about how rude the Dursley's might be to the Weasley's if they turned up looking like their worst idea of wizards.

"Do you think that they'll wear Muggle clothes?" Harry asked, obviously thinking the same thing that I was.

"Probably not. I don't think that Mr. or Mrs. Weasley own Muggle clothes," I answered.

Even from the first time that I had met the Weasley's, I had never really seen them wear Muggle clothes. The kids tended to wear Muggle clothes at almost all times. But Mr. and Mrs. Weasley normally had on some type of reddish robe. There was no doubt in my mind that the Dursley's would be infuriated with what the Weasley's were wearing. Perhaps Fred and George would wear normal clothes, but they weren't really the ones that the Dursley's would be focused on. I couldn't help but wonder if Horse-Face had ever met the Weasley's. After all, her sister had been their friend.

"They'll lose it," Harry finally said.

"Yeah, probably."

"Might be kind of funny."

The edges of my lips turned up in a smile. It would definitely be my entertainment for the day. "It's going to be hilarious. Should we go downstairs and see what's going on?" I offered.

Not that I wanted to go downstairs, but I was mildly curious. "Yeah. Let's check it out."

Harry and I closed up all of his things before turning and heading downstairs. The entire Dursley family were sitting in stone cold silence. They already looked somewhere between petrified and fascinated. Vermin had put on his best suit. To some people, this might have looked like a gesture of welcome, but Harry and I both knew it was because Vermin wanted to look impressive and intimidating. Not that Mr. Weasley would care. Honestly, he would probably think the way that Vermin was dressed was rather strange. It made me smile.

Dudley, on the other hand, looked somehow diminished. This was not because the diet was at last taking effect, but due to fright. Dudley had emerged from his last encounter with a fully-grown wizard with a curly pig's tail poking out of the seat of his trousers, and Horse-Face and Vermin had apparently had to pay for its removal at a private hospital in London. Another thing I would have to thank Hagrid for. It wasn't altogether surprising, therefore, that Dudley kept running his hand nervously over his backside, and walking sideways from room to room, so as not to present the same target to the enemy.

Much to their dismay, the Dursley's ended up inviting me to stay for lunch. Not that I really wanted any. But I didn't want any trouble yet so I stayed and ate. Lunch was an almost silent meal. Harry and I sat right next to each other but didn't dare speak and shatter the tense silence. Dudley didn't even protest at the food (cottage cheese and grated celery). Horse-Face wasn't eating anything at all. Her arms were folded, her lips were pursed, and she seemed to be chewing her tongue, as though biting back the furious diatribe she longed to throw at Harry. Perhaps this all brought back terrible memories of her sister.

"They'll be driving, of course?" Vermin barked suddenly across the table.

"Er," Harry answered dumbly.

Knowing that I should have said something, I decided to let Harry fend for himself. It might be rather funny to let them think that the Weasley's were going to come in a car. Obviously, Harry hadn't thought of that. How would the Weasley's pick the two of us up, if not by Floo? It wasn't like they understood the Underground. They didn't have a car anymore; the old Ford Anglia they had once owned was currently running wild in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. But Mr. Weasley had borrowed a Ministry of Magic car last year; possibly he would do the same today to avoid frightening the Dursley's?

Wouldn't that have been disappointing? "I think so," Harry said.

Vermin snorted into his mustache. I clenched my fists slightly. The Weasley's might have been a poor family, but they were absolutely wonderful and were better than the Dursley's in every single way. I could see Harry tensing up the same way that I was. Normally, Vermin would have asked what car Mr. Weasley drove; he tended to judge other men by how big and expensive their cars were. I had a feeling that one day Dad might buy a BMW just to prove to Vermin that he could. Either way, I doubted whether Vermin would have taken to Mr. Weasley even if he drove a Ferrari.

Deciding that I might as well talk about magic while we were allowed, I said, "They might Apparate."

A small grin appeared on Harry's face. Horse-Face paled nervously. Dudley shifted in his seat. Vermin whipped towards me with a venomous stare. "What's that rubbish?" Vermin snapped.

"Appearing in a place," I explained.

Vermin's face fell. "They most certainly will not be doing that!"

"They could also be taking the Floo network," I offered again.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Vermin asked.

"Traveling by -"

"Enough!" Horse-Face shrieked, speaking for the first time that afternoon.

She must have remembered all of the things that Lily had told her or her parents when they had been kids. This must have brought back some genuinely terrible memories for her. Not that I cared. This was payback for all of the years that she had spent terrorizing Harry, her own nephew. The rest of lunch was eaten in complete silence, Harry and I sending each other little glances every now and again. Once it was over, we all took our seats scattered around the living room but the tense air didn't lift. If anything, it only got worse the closer that we got to five o'clock.

Harry and I ended up spending most of the afternoon in his bedroom; neither one of us could stand watching Horse-Face peer out through the net curtains every few seconds, as though there had been a warning about an escaped rhinoceros. I ended up running back to my house to grab the cell phone that I had left in the drawer. No one was home. They must have already gone to the Cup. By the time that I got back to Harry's bedroom, the two of us stared down at the phone, desperate to call Fred and George. I wanted to at least be able to talk to them until they came.

Sitting here was making me far too antsy. Passing the time was next to impossible. We couldn't play Exploding Snap without breaking the law on underage wizardry. Plus the Dursley's would hear and lose it. Reading was boring and we didn't even have the new spellbooks to study with yet. We were both fully packed. There was nothing to do other than sit together on his bed and talk, hoping to keep ourselves distracted and from watching the clock. It was harder than it had ever been. Especially as the clock seemed to slow the closer to five o'clock we got.

"I wonder if this is the first time that she's been around magical people since your mother..." I said awkwardly, trailing off at the end.

Lily would always be a sensitive topic. "It probably is," Harry said somewhat carelessly. "She must hate them."

"Either that or she's just nervous around them. Do you ever wonder if she got along with Lily?" I asked suddenly. Harry arched a brow. "Before finding out that she was a witch?"

Harry thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "Doubt it. She's never even talked about my mother."

"I mean... they were still sisters. Wasn't she even slightly upset at the fact that she died because she was murdered in cold blood?" I asked curiously.

"If it's ever bothered her, she certainly didn't show it."

That was when I noticed the emotionless tone to his voice. "Sorry for bringing it up," I muttered awkwardly.

"It's okay." The two of us sat in silence for a while before Harry said, "Want to tell me about the two teams that are going to be at the World Cup?"

"Sure!" I chirped.

If there was one thing to keep me from getting too invested in watching the clock, it would be talking about the World Cup. It was easy to see just how excited Harry was. Having only seen school games prior to this, I knew that he would be astounded. We had some really good players on the school team - the two of us being some of them - but even we were nothing compared to all of the professional players who would be at the Cup. Although I would never admit out loud that we weren't even halfway o the point that they were. I was too proud for that.

Instead, I spent a long time telling Harry about the two teams we would be watching. I told him all about how Bulgaria almost always wore scarlet robes and how, this time, they would no longer be riding Cleansweep Eleven's, which they had been riding for as long as I could remember. Instead, they would now be on Firebolts, just like Harry and I played on. I had mentioned that I was looking forward to Ireland's play. They were always a lot more fun to watch. They played dirty and tended to get pretty big heads whenever they won - a habit that I had, too.

The more that I told him about the World Cup, the more excited that he seemed to be getting. He even asked me about the last World Cup that I had been to. In fact, I had only been to one before. I had gone with Mom as Dad had played, just a few years before I'd met Harry officially. I giggled as I recounted Dad's gameplay - aggressive but winning. It was exactly where I had gotten my own attitude from the game. The Stars had blown Japan's team out of the water. Ever since there had been a nasty rivalry between the two. Harry promised to never root for Japan.

Finally, the time was nearly there. "Ready to go downstairs?" Harry offered.

"Yes," I said.

"Are your parents already gone?"

"They weren't there when I ran back to grab the phone, so I think so. Mom's at the Ministry and Dad should be at the World Cup already," I explained. "Too bad because it would have been kind of funny to have them all together around the Weasley's."

Harry snorted in amusement as I grinned at him. It really would have been funny to see the Dursley's completely outnumbered by magical beings in their own living room. Perhaps something for another day. In the meantime, we just needed to get the Weasley's here and get out before things could get any more awkward. When we could no longer wait impatiently in Harry's bedroom, finally, at a quarter to five, the two of us went back downstairs and into the living room. Within seconds I wished that we were back upstairs.

Horse-Face was compulsively straightening cushions. Not that she really wanted the house to look spotless. I doubted that she really cared. Either Vermin was making her do it or she was looking for something to do with her hands - other than strangling Harry and me for inviting wizards into their home. On the other hand, Vermin was pretending to read the paper, but his tiny eyes were not moving, and I was sure he was really listening with all his might for the sound of an approaching car. He might as well have been sitting by the window and watching for their arrival.

The most amusing of all was Dudley. Despite his good advice to me yesterday, it still didn't make up all of the awful things that he had done to Harry over the years. Hence why his terror brought a slight grin to my face. Dudley was crammed into an armchair, his porky hands beneath him, clamped firmly around his bottom. If only Hagrid was coming with the Weasley's... Harry and I ultimately couldn't take the tension; the two of us left the room and went and sat on the stairs in the hall, our eyes on his watch and our hearts pumping fast from excitement and nerves.

My Muggle cell phone was clasped tightly in my hands. Maybe Fred and George would give me a call before they actually arrived to give us a fair warning. But it remained as silent as ever. My eyes remained firmly locked on Harry's watch as I saw the seconds tick by. Much to my horror, five o'clock came and then went. Vermin, perspiring slightly in his suit, opened the front door, peered up and down the street, then withdrew his head quickly. I rolled my eyes. It was five o'clock on the date. They could give them a few minutes to get here. They didn't know this part of Surrey, anyways.

"They're late!" Vermin snarled at us.

"I know. Maybe - er - the traffic's bad, or something," Harry said.

"There's a lot of kids in the family. Something might have popped up," I put in helpfully.

Chances were that someone had likely forgotten something or didn't realize what time it was. Vermin snorted ungracefully. "Too many kids, if you ask me," he said.

"We weren't," I growled fiercely.

I absolutely despised hearing anyone badmouth the Weasley's. "Do you know where they are?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Nope. But knowing the Weasley's, something popped up. You know how many kids there are in that family. They're probably taking forever to get ready. You know how long it took us to get to King's Cross in Second Year," I said, placing a hand over Harry's arm comfortingly.

"Yeah..." Harry mumbled.

"They didn't forget about us, Harry. I just talked to Fred and George this morning."

"What'd they say?"

"That we'd see them later."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "It'd be worse if you weren't here," he said.

It wasn't hard to imagine how panicked Harry would be if he were stuck here alone. "Oh, I know how sad you'd be without me," I teased. Harry laughed as I pulled the cell phone out of my pocket. "Let me see if they answer."

If there was one way to make either one of us feel the slightest bit better, it was to call the twins and make sure that they really were on their way. Maybe they ended up doing something other than the Floo network. Perhaps they had ended up driving and were having a hard time finding the house. I walked a few steps away from Harry and pulled up the twins' number, dialing it instantly. It rang a few times before going straight to voicemail. I furrowed my brow as I tucked the phone back in my pocket. The twins never ignored or missed one of my calls. Was something wrong?

Harry perked up as I walked back. "Anything?"

"No answer," I said. Harry's face paled. "Don't panic, I'm sure the twins are blowing something up."

We both laughed at the very true statement. The twins were always blowing something up - even Hogwarts toilets. But that happy air didn't last for very long. Ten past five... then a quarter past five... The later it got, the more nervous I got. Mom and Dad could still take us, just in case, but I hated hearing the Dursley's muttering about us. Exchanging a glance with Harry, I could tell that he, too, was starting to feel anxious now. I had been expecting a few minutes' delays. Not this much. At half past, we heard Vermin and Horse-Face conversing in terse mutters in the living room.

"No consideration at all."

"We might've had an engagement."

"Maybe they think they'll get invited to dinner if they're late."

"Well, they most certainly won't be," Vermin, and I heard him stand up and start pacing the living room. "They'll take the two of them and go, there'll be no hanging around. That's if they're coming at all. Probably mistaken the day. I daresay their kind don't set much store by punctuality. Either that or they drive some tin-pot car that's broken d - AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!"

Their scream was enough to instantly alert Harry and me that something was wrong. I reached for my wand before realizing that it wasn't there. I supposed that it was a good thing that I didn't have one anyways. Harry and I jumped up in surprise. From the other side of the living room door came the sounds of the three Dursley's scrambling, panic-stricken, across the room. What the hell was happening out in the living room? Everything was stone-cold silent just a few seconds ago. Next moment Dudley came flying into the hall, looking terrified.

"What was that?" Harry asked; either me or Dudley, I couldn't tell.

Dudley wasn't answering. "No idea. Come on!" Harry yelped.

"What happened? What's the matter?" Harry asked Dudley again.

But Dudley didn't seem able to speak. Even when I laid a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down, he still looked like he was about to lose it. Perhaps it was the wrong time to try and speak with him. Hands still clamped over his buttocks, Dudley waddled as fast as he could into the kitchen. Harry and I stared at each other again. Whatever it was didn't seem dangerous. More surprising than anything else, I guessed. Still unaware of what was happening, Harry and I hurried into the living room. A massive grin immediately broke over my face.

"Oh... I forgot about that," I whispered, giggling.

"What?" Harry asked, stupefied.

"Look," I said.

Harry followed my finger to where I was pointing to their fireplace. Fred and George were telling the truth. They were coming through the Floo network. The only problem was, I had forgotten about what was in front of the Dursley's fireplace. Loud hangings and scrapings were coming from behind the Dursley's boarded-up fireplace, which had a fake coal fire plugged in front of it. I really should have told the Weasley's to come through my own fireplace, which wasn't boarded up with some cheesy fake fire, but this was much more amusing.

"What is it?" Horse-Face gasped, who had backed into the wall and was staring, terrified, toward the fire. "What is it, Vernon?"

Honestly, she was more likely to know what was happening than he was. Harry stared at me for a moment and I nodded. Clearly, he was beginning to understand exactly what had happened. This was definitely not something that I was planning on letting any of them live down any time soon. Not after the relentless teasing over Cedric and I's relationship[. I prepared to explain what was going on to the Dursley's, but we were left in doubt barely a second longer. Voices could be heard from inside the blocked fireplace.

"Ouch! Fred, no - go back, go back, there's been some kind of mistake - tell George not to - OUCH! George, no, there's no room, go back quickly and tell Ron -"

"Maybe Harry can hear us, Dad - maybe he'll be able to let us out -"

It sounded like Mr. Weasley and Fred were in there so far. Who else was planning on coming through? For a moment I hoped that they were all planning on coming. I would have liked to see just how many people we could fit inside the relatively small fireplace. There was a sudden loud hammering of fists on the boards behind the electric fire. My hand instantly clapped itself to my mouth. I wanted to see how long we could keep this going. I was particularly enjoying getting to see the baffled and horrified looks that Vermin and Horse-Face were wearing.

Unfortunately, I could only wear a straight face for so long. The moment that Harry and I locked eyes, we both began laughing hysterically. The glare from the Dursley's was the only thing that kept us from laughing even more. I had known that the Weasley's were planning on coming through the Floo network (despite my fears that they had changed plans) but I really had forgotten that their fireplace was boarded up. I never bothered looking at it before today. I had really just thought that they would get scared by the monstrous green flames.

"Harry? Tara? Harry, can you hear us?"

That one sounded like Mr. Weasley again. It was very hard to keep myself from collapsing to the floor in a fit of giggles. I had never seen someone actually get stuck in a fireplace. Harry and I glanced at each other and grinned again. This was definitely not something that any of the Weasley's would be living down anytime soon. Not if Harry and I could help it. The Dursley's rounded on Harry and I like a pair of angry wolverines. It was the fastest that I had ever seen either one of them move.

"What is this? What's going on?" Vermin growled.

"They - they've tried to get here by Floo powder," Harry explained, obviously fighting a mad desire to laugh. "They can travel by fire - only you've blocked the fireplace - hang on -"

"It allows them to travel almost immediately to another place. Think like the transporters in Star Trek," I further explained.

"Why would they do that?" Vermin hissed.

"It's faster," I reasoned.

Because not everyone is a bigot who's afraid of anything that he doesn't understand. The two of us glared at each other as I turned back to the fireplace. As much as I wanted to let this charade go on a little longer, I knew that the right thing to do was to tell them that we were here and would manage to get them out as quickly as possible. So, Harry and I approached the fireplace and Harry called through the boards.

"Mr. Weasley? Can you hear me?"

The hammering stopped. Somebody inside the chimney-piece said, "Shh!"

"Mr. Weasley, it's Harry... the fireplace has been blocked up. You won't be able to get through there."

"Damn!" Mr. Weasley's voice came angrily. "What on earth did they want to block up the fireplace for?"

"They've got an electric fire," Harry explained.

"Really?" Mr. Weasley's voice asked excitedly. "Eclectic, you say? With a plug? Gracious, I must see that..."

"Electric, Mr. Weasley," I corrected.

"Right," Mr. Weasley said, humming through the wood. "Let's think... ouch, Ron!"

"This is brilliant, boys," I cackled happily.

"Tara?" Fred's voice came.

"Hello, Freddie. Having a good time?" I teased.

"Yes, Tara. I'm having a marvelous time stuck in the fireplace," Fred growled back.

"Well, I'm certainly having a marvelous time," I chuckled.

A little thump came from where I imagined Fred had just punched the stone. "Just wait until we get back to the Burrow! You'd best watch yourself when you go to bed," Fred barked.

"Oh, scary coming from the man stuck in the fireplace," I teased.

Harry laughed as Ron's voice now joined the others'. "What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?"

"Oh no, Ron," Fred's voice came, very sarcastically. "No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up."

"Yeah, we're having the time of our lives here," George said, whose voice sounded muffled, as though he was squashed against the wall.

"Boys, boys..." Mr. Weasley said vaguely. "I'm trying to think what to do... Yes... only way... Stand back, you two."

Things were slowly getting even better and better. The Weasley's were clearly going to have to blast away the electric fireplace so that they could get into the house. Even though it would be an incredibly easy fix for Mr. Weasley, there was no way that Vermin or Horse-Face would be okay with what was sure to be a brief state of disaster in their living room. Harry grabbed onto my hand and pulled me along so that we had retreated to the sofa. I watched with a quirked brow as Vermin, however, moved forward.

"Wait a moment!" Vermin bellowed at the fire.

"I would suggest you back away," I offered quietly.

Vermin glared at me before saying, "What exactly are you going to -"

He never got to finish. An earsplitting bang interrupted him. The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outward, expelling Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron in a cloud of rubble and loose chippings. Harry and I ducked to narrowly avoid getting hit by the flying wood. Horse-Face shrieked and fell backward over the coffee table; Vermin caught her before she hit the floor, and gaped, speechless, at the Weasley's, all of whom had bright red hair, including Fred and George, who were identical to the last freckle.

A barking laugh escaped me before I could stop it. "That's better," Mr. Weasley panted, brushing the dust from his long green robes and straightening his glasses.

Fred, George, and Ron began sitting upright. "Hello, boys," I greeted dully.

Fred was the first to meet my eyes. "Ah -"

"Tara -"

Nope. I recognized the look in the twins' eyes, having known them long enough. I backed away from them. "Stay away from me until you take a shower!" I shouted.

"Ah - you must be Harry's aunt and uncle!" Mr. Weasley's voice interrupted us.

The twins stopped advancing on me as I turned to see what else was happening. Tall, thin, and balding, Mr. Weasley moved toward Vermin, his hand outstretched, but Vermin backed away several paces, dragging Horse-Face. I rolled my eyes. It was just an accident. They would be able to fix the fireplace. The Dursley's really needed to learn to get a sense of humor about things. Words seemed to have utterly failed Vermin. His best suit was covered in white dust, which had settled in his hair and mustache and made him look as though he had just aged thirty years.

"Er - yes - sorry about that," Mr. Weasley said, lowering his hand and looking over his shoulder at the blasted fireplace. "It's all my fault. It just didn't occur to me that we wouldn't be able to get out at the other end. I had your fireplace connected to the Floo Network, you see - just for an afternoon, you know, so we could get Harry and Tara. Muggle fireplaces aren't supposed to be connected, strictly speaking - but I've got a useful contact at the Floo Regulation Panel and he fixed it for me. I can put it right in a jiffy, though, don't worry. I'll light a fire to send the kids back, and then I can repair your fireplace before I Disapparate."

My eyebrow raised in surprise. "I didn't know that Muggles fireplaces were cut off from the Floo network?" I half-asked and half-said to Mr. Weasley.

Mr. Weasley turned towards me and nodded. "Oh, of course. We can't have witches and wizards getting spit out in random Muggles' fireplaces all over the world," Mr. Weasley pointed. I nodded in understanding. I guessed that made perfect sense. "The Obliviators would never have a free moment."

"That makes sense. I guess Little Hangleton must still have some witches and wizards there," I muttered.

"Pardon?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Nothing," I said quickly.

Harry shot me a look as Fred and George quickly appeared at my sides. "What are you hiding?" Fred sang.

"Nothing," I repeated.

"Come on, Tara. Tell us," George prodded.

"There's nothing to tell," I snapped.

The two of them didn't look convinced, but I was hoping that they would let it go for now. That would be a conversation for another time. Sensing that the twins would let it slip for now, I turned back towards the rest of the family. I was ready to bet that the Dursley's hadn't understood a single word of what Mr. Weasley had just told them. They didn't care enough to ask Harry or me what things were like in the Wizarding World. The Dursley's were still gaping at Mr. Weasley, thunderstruck. Horse-Face staggered upright again and hid behind Vermin.

"Hello, Harry! Hello, Tara!" Mr. Weasley finally greeted brightly.

"Hi, Mr. Weasley," I giggled.

"Got your trunk ready?" Mr. Weasley asked Harry.

"It's upstairs," Harry said, grinning back at Mr. Weasley.

"Marcus and Julia bringing your things later, Tara?" Mr. Weasley asked me.

"Yep! I've just got a bag with my things. They're upstairs in Harry's room," I explained.

"We'll get it," Fred said at once. As he walked towards the staircase, he stopped in front of me. I narrowed my gaze at him. "Want to come show me to the bedroom?"

He waggled his eyebrows playfully at me. "Get out," I snapped, shoving his chest.

George, Harry, and Ron laughed as Mr. Weasley glared at his son. Fred held a hand over his chest in mock hurt. "Don't be rude, Tara. Just being friendly," Fred teased.

"Oh, yes. You're quite friendly," I groaned.

Fred threw his arm over my shoulder, practically keeping me glued to his side. "Only for you, love."

"Go away, Freddie," I snapped.

George grabbed his twin and shoved him off of me, taking his place. "Exactly, Freddie. She likes me much more than you," George told his brother.

"So true," I added, wrapping an arm around George's waist.

"Hey!" Fred barked indignantly.

"Go, boys," Mr. Weasley warned them.

The sooner we got out of here, the better. We could all mess with each other back at the Burrow. Winking at Harry and I, Fred and George left the room. They knew where Harry's bedroom was, having once rescued him from it in the dead of night with my assistance. Vermin and Horse-Face looked terrified as the twins headed upstairs, probably wondering how they knew just where to go. As I looked at Harry, the two of us started laughing again. I suspected that Fred and George were hoping for a glimpse of Dudley; they had heard a lot about him from Harry.

"Well," Mr. Weasley chirped, swinging his arms slightly, while he tried to find words to break the very nasty silence. "Very - um - a very nice place you've got here."

Another grin appeared on my face. It was rather amusing to see just how awkward their official meeting was. Not just long distance glares as usual. As the usually spotless living room was now covered in dust and bits of brick, Mr. Weasley's remark didn't go down too well with the Dursley's. Vermin's face turned purple once more, and Horse-Face started chewing her tongue again. Neither one of them looked even slightly pleased with the turn of events. However, they seemed too scared to actually say anything.

Mr. Weasley was looking around curiously. I had a feeling that he wanted to run back and forth and start looking at everything. He must have been fascinated to be in a real Muggle home with nothing even remotely magical - save the trunk and bag in Harry's bedroom. Mr. Weasley loved everything to do with Muggles. He worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts in the Ministry of Magic and very much loved his job. I could see him itching to go and examine the television and the video recorder.

"They run off eckeltricity, do they?" Mr. Weasley asked knowledgeably.

"Electricity, Mr. Weasley," I repeated from earlier.

"Oh. Of course. Ah yes, I can see the plugs. I collect plugs," Mr. Weasley added kindly to Vermin. "And batteries. Got a very large collection of batteries. My wife thinks I'm mad, but there you are."

Vermin clearly thought Mr. Weasley was mad too. It was very hard to keep me from laughing. The look on the Dursley's faces was nothing short of horrified. They clearly hated him and all of his children. But they were definitely too scared to actually say anything about their distaste of the Weasley's to their faces. Vermin moved ever so slightly to the right, screening Horse-Face from view, as though he thought Mr. Weasley might suddenly run at them and attack. I snorted under my breath, faking a cough.

Dudley suddenly reappeared in the room. I glanced up curiously, wondering what had drawn him out. That was when I could hear the clunk of Harry's trunk on the stairs and knew that the sounds had scared Dudley out of the kitchen. Dudley edged along the wall, gazing at Mr. Weasley with terrified eyes, and attempted to conceal himself behind his mother and father. Unfortunately, Vermin's bulk, while sufficient to hide bony Horse-Face, was nowhere near enough to conceal Dudley.

"Ah, this is your cousin, is it, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked, taking another brave stab at making conversation.

"Yep, that's Dudley," Harry said.

Harry, Ron, and I exchanged glances and then quickly looked away from each other; the temptation to burst out laughing was almost overwhelming. Dudley was still clutching his bottom as though afraid it might fall off. Mr. Weasley, however, seemed genuinely concerned at Dudley's peculiar behavior. Indeed, from the tone of his voice when he next spoke, I was quite sure that Mr. Weasley thought Dudley was quite as mad as the Dursley's thought he was, except that Mr. Weasley felt sympathy rather than fear.

"Having a good holiday, Dudley?" Mr. Weasley asked kindly.

Dudley whimpered in fear. Dudley might have said a few nice things to me and had always been much nicer to me than he had to Harry, but that didn't change the fact that he had always been a bully. Perhaps this would finally trigger something in him. Maybe he would grow up and start being nicer to his cousin, who had never really been mean to him before. Much to both my amusement and Harry's, we saw Dudley's hands tighten still harder over his massive backside.

It took me only a moment to realize what he was afraid for. Fred and George came back into the room carrying Harry's school trunk. Of course. They always had that look about them that warned someone to run from them before they could hurt you in a playful way. Dudley must have been terrified of them. The twins glanced around as they entered and spotted Dudley. He was very obviously Harry's cousin. No one else would have matched his description. Fred and George's faces cracked into identical evil grins.

"Ah, right. Better get cracking then," Mr. Weasley said.

As the twins took their spots at my side, I narrowed my eyes at them. "That's a dangerous look," I whispered.

"No. We would never," Fred said, affronted.

"We're on our best behavior. We already made a promise," George added.

No way. There was no way that they were planning on leaving Harry's house without doing something to his family. Perhaps not Vermin or Hose-Face. They were terrified enough from the fireplace explosion earlier. Right now, I was sure that it was Dudley who they were planning on attacking. The question just remained, what were they going to do to him? Mr. Weasley pushed up the sleeves of his robes and took out his wand. Once more, I saw the Dursley's draw back against the wall as one.

"Incendio!" Mr. Weasley cried, pointing his wand at the hole in the wall behind him.

Flames rose at once in the fireplace, crackling merrily as though they had been burning for hours. They were still red but they would be green within seconds. I could see the Dursley's staring at their fireplace in fear. Mr. Weasley took a small drawstring bag from his pocket, untied it, took a pinch of the powder inside, and threw it onto the flames, which turned emerald green and roared higher than ever. The Dursley's looked absolutely terrified and more than a little happy to get the Weasley's and us out of their house.

"Off you go then, Fred," Mr. Weasley said.

"Coming," Fred said.

But he lingered by my side for a moment. "If you ask me if I want to share a fireplace, I'll kill you," I snapped.

That was his go-to comment whenever we traveled by Floo powder together. "Actually I'd very much like you to be the last one through," Fred said, grinning madly.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"You'll see," Fred said playfully, moving towards the fireplace. "Oh no - hang on -"

My eyebrow quirked. What the hell were the twins planning? Something magnificent, I was sure. Just as I had expected, a bag of sweets had spilled out of Fred's pocket and the contents were now rolling in every direction - big, fat toffees in brightly colored wrappers. My jaw dropped as I watched the turn of events. Were those what I thought they were? Fred scrambled around, cramming them back into his pocket, then gave the Dursley's a cheery wave, stepped forward, and walked right into the fire. He turned and gave me a little wink.

"The Burrow!" Fred cried.

"Oh no..." I whispered.

Where was the one that he had left? "What're those?" Harry whispered back.

"You'll see," I said.

If the twins had it their way, we would know what was happening in a matter of seconds. My gaze turned towards the far corner of the room where I saw Dudley ducking down - likely picking up the present that Fred had left for him. Horse-Face gave a little shuddering gasp at the fireplace roaring. I wondered if she was used to seeing someone use a fireplace. Perhaps Lily, when she was younger. There was a whooshing sound from the fireplace, and Fred vanished. I glanced over at George, who gave me the same wink Fred had.

"Right then, George, you and the trunk," Mr. Weasley ordered.

They really weren't going to stay and watch? Perhaps they knew how much trouble they were going to get in the moment that we realized what was going to happen to Dudley. I just wished I knew which one the twins had given him. Harry and I helped George carry the trunk forward into the flames and turn it onto its end so that he could hold it better. George took my bag as well and I smiled at him, giving him a nod to tell him that I would let him know what happened. Then, with a second whoosh, George had cried out for the Burrow and vanished too.

"Ron, you next," Mr. Weasley said.

"See you," Ron said brightly to the Dursley's.

They looked absolutely horrified that Ron had dared speak to them. Harry and I smiled at each other before looking back to him. Ron grinned broadly at Harry and me, then stepped into the fire, shouted for the Burrow as his brothers had, and disappeared. Now Harry, Mr. Weasley, and I alone remained. The air was suddenly very awkward. Much to my surprise, Dudley moved a little bit closer to me. I tried to force a smile onto my face. I could at least give him a little smile.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Dudley asked.

My head whipped around to him. "What?" I gasped. Why did he think that Fred and I were together? Because we playfully messed with each other? "No. That's Fred Weasley. He's a good friend of mine."

"Oh," Dudley muttered, looking surprised. "Sorry."

"Well... 'bye then," Harry said awkwardly to the Dursley's.

"See ya," I added.

It was extremely awkward in the Dursley's household. All I wanted right now was to head to the Burrow and enjoy the last bit of the summer before heading back to Hogwarts. The Dursley's (unsurprisingly) didn't say anything at all. Harry and I both moved toward the fire to leave together, but just as the two of us reached the edge of the hearth, Mr. Weasley put out a hand and held us both back. I noticed that his eyes were almost deadlocked on Harry. What was the problem? Mr. Weasley was looking at the Dursley's in amazement.

"Harry said goodbye to you. Didn't you hear him?" Mr. Weasley asked

A small grin appeared on my face. "It doesn't matter," Harry muttered to Mr. Weasley. "Honestly, I don't care."

"It's no big deal. They'll never say goodbye," I whispered.

As much as it would be funny to see Mr. Weasley give Vermin a lesson in manners, I also didn't want anything to embarrass Harry. I knew that his aunt and uncle had always embarrassed Harry. He didn't like people knowing just how much his family hated and didn't care for him. But I supposed that it didn't matter. We would just ignore what they had said. They didn't really matter. The two of us went to move forward again, but Mr. Weasley did not remove his hand from Harry's shoulder.

"You aren't going to see your nephew till next summer," Mr. Weasley said to Vermin in mild indignation. "Surely you're going to say good-bye?"

One of my hands shot over my mouth. I wanted to know how this whole thing would play out. Much to my amusement, Vermin's face worked furiously. I had never seen him as angry as he was right now. The idea of being taught consideration by a man who had just blasted away half his living room wall seemed to be causing him intense suffering. But Mr. Weasley's wand was still in his hand, despite the fact that he would never do anything to him, and Vermin's tiny eyes darted to it once, before he took in a breath.

Very resentfully, he said, "Good-bye, then."

"See you," Harry said.

He put one foot forward into the green flames. "The two of you can go together, Tara," Mr. Weasley instructed.

"Okay," I said, stepping into the flames, which felt pleasantly like a warm breath. "Have a good year."

The green flames in front of my vision made me smile. I really did miss being in the Wizarding World. It was so much better than the dull reality of the Muggle world. Harry and I grabbed hands - which was much easier than slamming into each other as we rocketed through the grates - and he prepared to yell for the Burrow. The very moment that he began to say the name of the Weasley's home, however, a horrible gagging sound erupted behind the two of us, and Horse-Face started to scream.

It appeared that we were about to learn what it was that Fred and George had decided to leave as a present for Dudley. Harry and I wheeled around. Dudley was no longer standing behind his parents. He was kneeling beside the coffee table, and he was gagging and sputtering on a foot-long, purple, slimy thing that was protruding from his mouth. I gasped in surprise. One bewildered second later, I realized that the foot-long thing was Dudley's tongue and that a brightly colored toffee wrapper lay on the floor before him.

"I knew those morons managed it!" I gasped.

How didn't I realize that they were actually going to make those toffees work? I'd thought that they were being a little too ambitious too quickly, but it turned out that they had managed to prove me wrong. And I had never been so proud of them. I remembered Fred and George talking about something that they were trying to create to make your enemies wish that they had never opened their mouth. It turned out that it had worked. And this was why Fred had wanted me to come through last. He wanted someone to report to him on the effects.

"What is that?" Harry gasped.

"Fred and George's newest invention," I said.

Harry grinned. "Wicked."

We were both laughing at the top of our lungs by now. I had never seen something so amusing. Horse-Face hurled herself onto the ground beside Dudley, seized the end of his swollen tongue, and attempted to wrench it out of his mouth; unsurprisingly, Dudley yelled and sputtered worse than ever, trying to fight her off. She clearly didn't realize that the only way to get his tongue back to normal was going to be with more magic. Vermin was bellowing and waving his arms around, and Mr. Weasley had to shout to make himself heard.

"Not to worry, I can sort him out!" he yelled, advancing on Dudley with his wand outstretched, but Horse-Face screamed worse than ever and threw herself on top of Dudley, shielding him from Mr. Weasley.

"Better than television," I muttered to Harry.

He laughed. "No, really!" Mr. Weasley cried desperately. "It's a simple process - it was the toffee - my son Fred - real practical joker - but it's only an Engorgement Charm - at least, I think it is - please, I can correct it -"

But far from being reassured, the Dursley's became more panic-stricken; Horse-Face was sobbing hysterically, tugging Dudley's tongue as though determined to rip it out; Dudley appeared to be suffocating under the combined pressure of his mother and his tongue; and Vermin, who had lost control completely, seized a china figure from on top of the sideboard and threw it very hard at Mr. Weasley, who ducked, causing the ornament to shatter in the blasted fireplace. Harry and I both barked with mad laughter.

"Now really!" Mr. Weasley barked angrily, brandishing his wand. "I'm trying to help!"

It was rather amusing to watch the four of them try and figure out what the hell was happening. I wasn't exactly sure what had happened with the toffee and Fred and George had created. Like Mr. Weasley had said, it looked like it was a simple Engorgement Charm that they had placed on the candy. But I couldn't be sure. I would have to ask them later. They must have been waiting with anticipation for the two of us to arrive at the Burrow. Bellowing like a wounded hippo, Vermin snatched up another ornament.

"Harry, Tara, go! Just go!" Mr. Weasley shouted, his wand on Vermin. "I'll sort this out!"

"Oh," I whined, "but -"

"Now!" Mr. Weasley shouted.

"Told you it would be an eventful day," I chuckled to Harry.

The two of us laughed all over again. Nothing ever amused me quite as much as the twins did. I couldn't wait to tell them that the experiments they had spent so much time working on were actually a success. Neither Harry nor I wanted to miss the fun, but Vermin's second ornament narrowly missed Harry's left ear, and on balance, I thought it best to leave the situation to Mr. Weasley. Perhaps we would be able to get an accurate recount of what had happened from Mr. Weasley when we had all arrived at the Burrow.

Harry and I stepped fully into the fire, looking over our shoulder as the two of us shouted for the Burrow. My last fleeting glimpse of the living room was of Mr. Weasley blasting a third ornament out of Vermin's hand with his wand, Horse-Face screaming and lying on top of Dudley, and Dudley's tongue lolling around like a great slimy python. I was still chuckling, wishing to see how this would end, but next moment Harry and I had begun to spin very fast, and the Dursley's living room was whipped out of sight in a rush of emerald-green flames.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _Upon arriving at the Burrow, Tara sees just how much trouble the twins have been up to over the summer as she gets reacquainted with the rest of her friends and meets the final two Weasley brothers._ A slightly shorter chapter seeing as not a ton of stuff happens. Hope you guys liked it! Thanks for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Son of Whitebeard: No, Mafalda is definitely not going to be a surprise at the Weasley's. Hope you liked this one!**

 **Guest: I'm so glad that you like the way that I write Tara's parents! I agree, they're not my favorite characters. Quite honestly, I'm much more invested in the kids of the story. I'm working on making them a little bit nicer and better. They do love Tara and care about her deeply. Perhaps they're just a little too sarcastic with her. They didn't tell her about moving because they didn't want to upset her prematurely. It was definitely a mistake on her part. They do listen to Dumbledore too much and that'll come more into the story in the coming chapters. I love long reviews! Feel free to leave them! And thank you so much! I really appreciate all of the kind words!**

 **GraySkys: Cedric is wonderful! He's definitely one of my favorite characters. I agree, things will be a little more upsetting (a lot more) if he does die, but it would be for the best. It would definitely bring out her dark side and strengthen her. If I choose not to kill him though, it'll definitely leave her with a constant confidant. Here's hoping that you liked this one!**

 **Guest: I'm so glad that you love it! Hopefully this update came fast enough!**

 **Vincent FGS91: Trust me, I understand! Things always seem to pop up so damn fast in the adult world. Thank you so much! I'm really glad that you enjoy the story so far. I'm having so much fun writing Tara's journey. Hope you liked this one!**


	5. Weasley Wizard Wheezes

Mere moments after the green flames erupted in front of my vision, I began to spin faster and faster, elbows tucked tightly to my sides, blurred fireplaces flashing past me, crashing into Harry every few moments until I started to feel sick and closed my eyes. After my accidental trip to India, I had never exactly been fond of travel by Floo. Then, when at last I felt myself slowing down, I threw out my hands and came to a halt in time to prevent myself from falling face forward out of the Weasley's kitchen fire. Harry's arm instantly latched onto mine for support.

We both shook our heads clear of the fuzziness from the constant spinning. "That was perfect!" I chuckled.

Just in front of me stood Fred and George, grinning wickedly. I was right about the fact that they had left the toffee for Dudley to eat and for me to report back my findings. Still giggling, I threw myself out of the fireplace and into Fred's arms. The toffee had mostly been his idea and it had worked marvelously. He was laughing in my ear, his hands tightening around my waist. Mrs. Weasley would be furious if she found out but it was so worth it. As we pulled apart, Fred pressed a kiss against my temple before releasing his grip on me.

"Did he eat it?" Fred asked excitedly, holding out a hand to pull Harry to his feet.

"Yeah," Harry said, straightening up.

"Boys, you have my love forever," I giggled as George walked over.

He hugged me so tightly that I thought a rib would crack as he hoisted me up into the air. "My dear, Tara -"

"We already knew that," Fred interrupted.

I rolled my eyes at the twins. "What was it?" Harry asked.

"Ton-Tongue Toffee," Fred said brightly.

My head whipped over to him as I narrowed my eyes. Of all the names that we had tried out... that was the one they had picked? "Is that really what you two idiots decided to call it?" I snapped.

"Yes," George said defensively.

"And we owe the idea all to you," Fred added, throwing an arm over my shoulder.

Uh-uh. That stupid name was all their own fault. "To me? You two came up with that one," I said.

"But it was you who said to invent something that would make your enemies wish that they had never opened their mouth," Fred explained.

That was how the two of them had come up with the idea? They always were smarter than I gave them credit for. Harry was staring at the three of us like we were insane. I almost forgot that I hadn't told him about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. But I didn't want the secret getting out. The twins hadn't wanted to tell anyone until they were sure that their mother wouldn't freak out about it. Of course, it now seemed like it would come out anyway. And I was sure that she wasn't going to take their ultimate ambition well.

"I like how that somehow led the two of you into deciding that a good way to make someone do that was to engorge their tongue so that it flopped out of their mouth," I told the twins.

"You two didn't buy those?" Harry asked them.

"Hell no," I put in.

"George and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them on all summer... Tara's been handling the finances and ideas," Fred explained.

"That's what you've been helping with?" Ron asked breathlessly.

As much as I had been at the Burrow over the summer, I hadn't told anyone the reasons for my real comings and goings. "Yeah!" I chirped happily. "That's why I've been around so much the past few months."

"Here we thought you liked our company," Ron huffed.

"Eh, you're all okay," I teased. Ron, Fred, and George huffed their displeasure at my comment. I grinned as I turned back to the twins. "You two are so going to be in for it when your father gets here."

"Us?" George asked questioningly. "Oh, no, Tara -"

"We're telling him that it was your idea," Fred said.

They were not going to be blaming me for this. They had asked me to help and I had agreed that I would do it. But I wasn't dealing with Mrs. or Mr. Weasley's wrath. That could be quite a frightening thing. I shifted to the side slightly and rammed into Fred as hard as I could. It didn't matter. He was twice my size. He didn't even budge. Instead, he merely laughed and looped an arm back over my shoulders. After a moment of trying to struggle against him, I gave in and wrapped my arm around his waist as we walked further into the house.

The tiny kitchen exploded with laughter; I glanced up and saw that everyone else had shifted around while I had been arguing with Fred. While Harry was still standing with us near the fireplace, Ron and George were now sitting at the scrubbed wooden table with two red-haired people I had never seen before, though I knew immediately who they must be: Bill and Charlie, the two eldest Weasley brothers. I had only seen pictures of them up until now and those had all seemed at least a few years old.

"How're you doing, Harry?" the nearer of the two offered, grinning at him and holding out a large hand, which Harry shook.

There was no doubt that this had to be Charlie, who worked with dragons in Romania. Charlie's friends had once even taken Norbert, a Norwegian Ridgeback, from Hagrid's hut at Hogwarts during our First Year. Charlie was built very much like the twins, slightly shorter and stockier than Percy and Ron, who were both long and lanky. Although the twins were starting to take after Percy. Charlie had a broad, good-natured face, which was weather-beaten and so freckly that he looked almost tanned; his arms were muscular, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it.

Once Charlie had released Harry's hand, he walked over to me. "You must be the Tara I've heard so much about," Charlie said sweetly, shaking my hand; I felt the calluses and blisters under his fingers.

"All bad things, I'm sure," I teased.

Charlie smiled. "Quite on the contrary, actually. I've heard nothing but good things."

"See?" Fred teased, coming up on my side.

"Always so mistrusting," George added, coming to my other.

"When it comes to the two of you? Yes, I am," I snapped.

The twins huffed as I shoved them away from me. Two weeks constantly being around them... I wasn't sure how I was going to manage them. At least in Hogwarts, I got a chance to get away from them. Distracting me from my problems with the twins, I spotted Bill getting to his feet, smiling. He walked over and shook Harry's hand. A moment later he walked over to me and shook mine. Bill came as something of a surprise, considering the way the rest of the Weasley's appeared. Very much a normal Pureblood wizarding family.

I knew that Bill worked for the wizarding bank, Gringotts, and that Bill had been Head Boy at Hogwarts; I had always imagined Bill to be an older version of Percy: fussy about rule-breaking and fond of bossing everyone around. However, Bill was - there was no other word for it - cool. He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing an earring with what looked like a snake fang dangling from it. Bill's clothes would not have looked out of place at a rock concert, except that I recognized his boots to be made, not of leather, but of dragon hide.

"Good to meet you, Tara," Bill said.

"You, too, Bill. I love those boots, by the way," I said.

"Thank you."

"Snake fang?" I questioned about the earring.

"Yes." I'd figured that it was a snake fang. As cool as it was, I would never like snakes. Not after our incident in the Chamber of Secrets with the Basilisk. I shivered slightly. "Not a fan?" Bill asked curiously.

"Of the earring? Yes," I said truthfully. Bill smiled nicely. "Of snakes? Not in particular. I've had a few too close calls."

"She battles a Basilisk one time and all of a sudden, she's the master of snakes," Fred said, rolling his eyes into the back of his head.

Immediately I whipped around to Fred. I was going to punch him so damn hard. "I nearly got my leg ripped off for trying to save your sister!" I shouted, aggravated with the pain in the ass twin. "Shut up!"

George rolled his eyes, just like his twin had just done. "Drama queen," George yawned.

"Basilisk?" Charlie asked, clearly interested by our conversation. "You saw one and lived to tell the tale?"

Had Charlie and Bill not heard about what I had done with Harry down in the Chamber of Secrets? I turned to the Weasley brothers. "Seriously? There was someone that you didn't tell about that?" I asked curiously.

"Mum and Ginny would get faint every time that I talked about it so they told me to just forget about it," Ron explained.

But Bill and Charlie still looked interested. "Perhaps a dinnertime story," I muttered awkwardly.

The last thing that I wanted to do was make any of them feel nervous or awkward. Especially when I was so grateful to be out of the awkward air of my own house. Before any of us could say anything else, there was a faint popping noise, and Mr. Weasley appeared out of thin air at George's shoulder. I stifled a laugh by pressing my head into Fred's shoulder. I was absolutely positive that this wasn't going to go well for either one of the twins. Mr. Weasley was looking angrier than I had ever seen him. In fact, he usually looked quite calm.

"You two are in for it," I muttered to Fred and George. They both looked in between terrified of their father and annoyed with me. I turned a bright grin on Mr. Weasley. "How are the Dursley's?"

He completely ignored me. "That _wasn't funny_ , Fred! What on earth did you give that Muggle boy?" Mr. Weasley howled.

By the smiles that the twins were giving, I was sure that things weren't going to get any better. "I didn't give him anything, I just dropped it... It was his fault he went and ate it, I never told him to," Fred said, with another evil grin.

"You dropped it on purpose!" Mr. Weasley roared. "You knew he'd eat it, you knew he was on a diet -"

"How big did his tongue get?" George asked eagerly.

"It was four feet long before his parents would let me shrink it!" Mr. Weasley barked.

It had barely been a foot long when we had gone through the fireplace. The image of Dudley with a four-foot-long purple tongue hanging out of his mouth sent me into a fit of hysterics. It wasn't just me. Harry and the Weasley's roared with laughter again. I was leaning in between the twins, laughing loudly and practically in tears. The image of Dudley along with his completely panicked parents was one of the funniest things I had ever thought about. As Mr. Weasley glared at us, I turned my head up to smile at the twins.

"It works even better than I thought it would!" I gasped.

"You were right. The Engorgement Charm did work," Fred said.

"Honestly, I didn't think that it would be powerful enough," I said.

"We think it worked splendidly," George teased.

"It isn't funny!" Mr. Weasley shouted.

"It's a little funny," I mumbled.

Mr. Weasley ignored me as the twins and Harry grinned. "That sort of behavior seriously undermines wizard-Muggle relations!" Mr. Weasley shouted at his sons. "I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons -"

"We didn't give it to him because he's a Muggle!" Fred shouted indignantly.

"No, we gave it to him because he's a great bullying git. Isn't he, Harry?" George asked.

"Yeah, he is, Mr. Weasley," Harry said earnestly.

But I could see that Mr. Weasley still didn't believe us. "Dudley Dursley, for the most part, is awful," I said honestly, only remembering the advice that he had given me over Cedric as his redeeming quality. "He deserved it for all of the times that he's bullied Harry and everyone else in the neighborhood."

"That's not the point!" Mr. Weasley raged. "You wait until I tell your mother -"

"Tell me what?" a voice asked behind us.

Everyone whipped around in complete horror. That was the one thing that we really, desperately, hadn't wanted. It was all fun and games right up until she came into the picture. Mrs. Weasley had just entered the kitchen. Despite her stature, she was easily one of the most frightening people that I had ever met. She was a short, plump woman with a very kind face, though her eyes were presently narrowed with suspicion. With her twin sons being exactly who they are, she must have already known where this conversation was going.

"Now you two are in for it," I teased quietly.

"Damn," Fred and George said together.

The moment that Mrs. Weasley locked onto the twins, she was going to have it out with them. But that wasn't quite yet. "Oh hello, Harry, dear. Tara, dear, welcome back," Mrs. Weasley said, spotting us and smiling.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley. Good to be back," I said brightly.

"Marcus and Julia doing alright?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"They're good. Ready for the World Cup to be over with, I think," I answered. Mrs. Weasley raised her brow curiously. "Awful fun to go to. Not so much fun to plan."

Mrs. Weasley smiled. Then her eyes snapped back to her husband. "Tell me what, Arthur?"

Mr. Weasley hesitated. This was usually the part in the afternoon and night when things got quite awkward. I loved Mr. and Mrs. Weasley but I knew that things could get pretty awkward when Mrs. Weasley wanted an answer and Mrs. Weasley didn't want to tell him the entire truth. I could tell that, however angry he was with Fred and George, Mr. Weasley hadn't really intended to tell Mrs. Weasley what had happened. It was undoubted that Mr. Weasley always tried to keep Mrs. Weasley from the worst things that the twins did.

There was a very awkward silence, while Mr. Weasley eyed his wife nervously. I smiled awkwardly at the twins. They were going to be in so much trouble. Then two girls appeared in the kitchen doorway behind Mrs. Weasley. I smiled brightly. One, with very bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth, was Harry's, Ron's friend, and my own friend, Hermione Granger. The other, who was small and red-haired, was Ron's younger sister, Ginny. Both of them smiled at Harry and me, both of whom grinned back. Harry's made Ginny go scarlet - she had been very taken with Harry ever since his first visit to the Burrow.

"Evening, ladies," I chirped.

There was another voice before they got the chance to respond. "Tell me what, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley repeated, in a dangerous sort of voice.

"It's nothing, Molly," Mr. Weasley mumbled, "Fred and George just - but I've had words with them -"

"What have they done this time?" Mrs. Weasley hissed dangerously. "If it's got anything to do with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes -"

"I can't believe that's what you two named it," I huffed irritably.

Of all of the names that the three of us had come up with - and with Lee's help - I couldn't believe that they had come up with that. "Why don't you show Harry and Tara where they're sleeping, Ron?" Hermione offered from the doorway.

"They know where they're sleeping, in my room and Ginny's, they slept there last -" Ron started.

"We can all go," Hermione said pointedly.

I cleared my throat for him to get the message. "Oh. Right," Ron said, cottoning on.

"Yeah, we'll come too," George said.

"You stay where you are!" Mrs. Weasley snarled.

"Good luck," I muttered to the twins.

They were going to really have it in for them. But that wasn't my problem. I supposed that was something that we could all talk about for another occasion. They would be way too angry with the twins right now. Harry, Ron, and I edged out of the kitchen, and the three of us, Hermione, and Ginny set off along the narrow hallway and up the rickety staircase that zigzagged through the house to the upper stories. I could tell that the twins so desperately wanted to come with us, but they were sucked into a chewing-out with their mother right now.

"What are Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" Harry asked as we climbed.

As much as I loved Harry, this was one of the promises that I had promised them I would keep. This was one of the promises that I had promised Fred and George that I would keep a secret. No matter whether or not their parents or siblings found out, I would never tell anyone about just how much the twins had invested. They were ready to start looking for their eventual store. With my trust fund left by my parents and grandparents, I had promised them that I would invest a lot into their store. Because I believe in them. Ron, Ginny, and I all laughed, although Hermione didn't.

"Mum found this stack of order forms when she was cleaning Fred and George's room. Great long price lists for stuff they've invented. Joke stuff, you know. Fake wands and trick sweets, loads of stuff. It was brilliant, I never knew they'd been inventing all that..." Ron said quietly.

"We've been hearing explosions out of their room for ages, but we never thought they were actually making things. We thought they just liked the noise," Ginny said.

"Only, most of the stuff - well, all of it, really - was a bit dangerous and, you know, they were planning to sell it at Hogwarts to make some money, and Mum went mad at them. Told them they weren't allowed to make any more of it and burned all the order forms... She's furious at them anyway. They didn't get as many O.W.L.s as she expected," Ron said.

Honestly, I did feel a little bad for the twins. I knew that their mother hadn't reacted well to the scores that they had gotten. O.W.L.s were Ordinary Wizarding Levels, the examinations Hogwarts students took at the age of fifteen. While most people tried to get as many O.W.L.'s as they possibly could, Fred and George had been more concerned with their jokes. Each had only gotten three O.W.L.'s. Both had gotten Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Fred had gotten Transfiguration and George had gotten Herbology.

"And then there was this big row because Mum wants them to go into the Ministry of Magic like Dad, and they told her all they want to do is open a joke shop," Ginny continued.

"But Tara never mentioned to us that she's been helping them for a year," Ron huffed.

"Not quite a year!" I barked irritably. "They're really serious about the joke stuff. They've been having me help with ideas and funding all summer. I don't mind; I think of it as a down payment. The business will take off. You know how much everyone loves their pranks. The twins are seriously smart and clever. They're becoming successful businessmen."

Even Harry looked annoyed that I hadn't told them. "You didn't tell us about that!" Harry snapped.

"They wanted to keep it a secret because they knew that she'd be furious with them," I argued. The twins had asked to keep it a secret and I had agreed. "But this is what they want to do and who should stop them? They're good at it. They just want everyone to be proud of them."

"They could do better, though," Hermione said quietly.

I turned to glare at her. Perhaps it wasn't the most normal career choice, but this was their passion. That was all that mattered. "I don't think anyone can do better than something that they love, even if everyone else thinks it's a fools move," I answered.

"Right on," Ginny agreed.

We both laughed. Beside myself, Ginny was the other one who genuinely believed that Weasley's Wizard Wheezes would eventually take off. I assumed that it was just because she had grown up with the twins and knew how good the two of them were with their pranks. Just then a door on the second landing opened, and a face poked out wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a very annoyed expression. Percy looked like he had aged about thirty years since graduating Hogwarts just a few months ago.

"Hi, Percy," Harry said.

"Oh hello, Harry. Welcome back, Tara," Percy said.

"Thanks, Percy. Feels like I've barely seen you all summer," I commented.

"Well, work has certainly kept me busy," Percy responded.

"You're working even when you're at home?" I asked curiously.

The moment that I got home, the last thing I wanted to do was work. "Of course. How else will you get ahead?" Percy asked. I shrugged my shoulders. At least he had a good work ethic. "I was wondering who was making all the noise. I'm trying to work in here, you know - I've got a report to finish for the office - and it's rather difficult to concentrate when people keep thundering up and down the stairs."

"We're not thundering. We're walking. Sorry if we've disturbed the top-secret workings of the Ministry of Magic," Ron said irritably.

"What are you working on?" Harry asked.

"A report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation," Percy said smugly. "We're trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin - leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year -"

"That'll change the world, that report will. Front page of the Daily Prophet, I expect, cauldron leaks," Ron sneered.

Percy went slightly pink. Out of all of Ron's siblings, I knew that he hated Percy the most. Not that he really hated him, but he didn't really care for him. Fred and George were both comical and hysterical. Ginny was a sweetheart and quite the comedian when she wanted to be. Bill seemed very laid back and funny to talk to. Charlie was a little more serious but was nowhere near Percy. In fact, I wasn't quite sure where Percy had come from. He seemed to be a little too straight-laced to come from a family like the Weasley's.

"Sounds fascinating," I said, trying to calm down the heated conversation.

But Percy was locked onto Ron's teasing comment. "You might sneer, Ron," Percy said heatedly, "but unless some sort of international law is imposed we might well find the market flooded with flimsy, shallow-bottomed products that seriously endanger -"

"Yeah, yeah, all right," Ron said, and he started off upstairs again.

Percy slammed his bedroom door shut. I glanced at the others awkwardly. Perhaps one day Ron and Percy would figure out how to be friendly with each other again. As Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and I followed Ron up three more flights of stairs, shouts from the kitchen below echoed up to us. Fred and George were definitely in for it this time. At least they would be able to get away from her for a few days with the World Cup. But, for now, it sounded as though Mr. Weasley had told Mrs. Weasley about the toffees.

The room at the top of the house where Ron slept looked much as it had the last time that I had come to stay: the same posters of Ron's favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons (who were actually terrible), were whirling and waving on the walls and sloping ceiling, and the fish tank on the windowsill, which had previously held frog spawn, now contained one extremely large frog. Ron's old rat, Scabbers, was here no more, but instead, there was the tiny gray owl that had delivered Ron's letter to Harry in Privet Drive. It was hopping up and down in a small cage and twittering madly.

"Shut up, Pig," Ron snarled, edging his way between two of the four beds that had been squeezed into the room.

"Pig?" I whispered to Hermione. She shrugged.

"Fred and George are in here with us, because Bill and Charlie are in their room. Percy gets to keep his room all to himself because he's got to work," Ron told Harry.

"Please make sure that they don't try to sneak into Ginny's room and light my hair on fire while I sleep," I said.

"That could be kind of funny," Ron mumbled.

"Shut up," I snapped.

"Er - why are you calling that owl Pig?" Harry asked Ron.

"Because he's being stupid. Its proper name is Pigwidgeon," Ginny said.

"Yeah, and that's not a stupid name at all," Ron said sarcastically.

For once, Ron actually had a point. "Love you, Ginny, but that is a terrible name," I said quietly.

She gave me a betrayed look as I smiled weakly at her. "Ginny named him," Ron explained to Harry. "She reckons it's sweet. And I tried to change it, but it was too late, he won't answer to anything else. So now he's Pig. I've got to keep him up here because he annoys Errol and Hermes. He annoys me too, come to that."

At least we were pretty confident that Pig wasn't a serial killer in disguise. That was an incident that I cared not to repeat anytime soon. Pigwidgeon zoomed happily around his cage, hooting shrilly. I cringed as I dropped down onto Ron's bed. Ron was still glaring at the little owl. I knew Ron too well to take him seriously. He had moaned continually about his old rat, Scabbers, but had been most upset when Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, appeared to have eaten him - which actually would have saved us a lot of time and annoyance if he had.

"At least you've got an owl that's not Errol," I pointed out.

"Fair enough," Ron shrugged.

"Where's Crookshanks?" Harry asked Hermione now.

"Out in the garden, I expect. He likes chasing gnomes. He's never seen any before," Hermione answered.

"How's Cedric, Tara?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, what happened there?" Hermione added.

Ron gave me a shocked look. "Did you two break up?" he asked.

"What? No!" I barked. "I mean... it's complicated."

"Might as well tell them what happened," Harry said.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny looked extremely confused. I sighed and decided that it would probably save me a lot of explaining down the road if I just told them what had happened now. So, I decided to go for it. I explained all about how careful we had been throughout the summer until managing to get caught kissing in the alley around the Leaky Cauldron. They had all seemed shocked that I'd been caught. They seemed even more surprised to hear that my parents had thrown a fit about the relationship, asking me to break things off with him.

There was a brief silence while everyone processed my story. "But you're not planning to?" Hermione asked slowly.

She knew me so well. "Duh! Mom's okay with it now, anyway. She told me while Dad was at the World Cup that she didn't love it but wasn't going to try and stop me," I explained. "Ending things with him would be stupid. It's only another year that I have to hold up to my end of the bargain."

"Even though you're not holding it up at all," Ron pointed out.

"Yeah, pretty much," I agreed.

"Are they going to be at the World Cup?" Ginny asked, referring to my parents.

"Unfortunately everyone will be there. So, I'll have to be very awkward and very careful while we're there. If any of you mention the fact that we're still going to be seeing each other, I'll kill you," I warned the others.

"You're going to make things worse," Ron said.

"Maybe. But at least I'll still have my boyfriend," I said.

As Ginny grinned at my stupid plan, Hermione shook her head. "You really need to stop breaking the rules."

"Come on, Hermione! Live a little!" I teased, shaking her shoulders.

"I can't believe you got caught," Ginny snorted.

"They snog every time they're around each other. It's sickening. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't get caught sooner," Ron groaned.

He was such a pain in the ass. He was always commenting about how I kissed Cedric every time that I saw him. Which wasn't exactly a lie. We did. But we were dating. We were allowed to kiss each other! I leaned over to Ron and jumped on him, tackling him back against the bed. I definitely wasn't going to leave him alone once he got his first girlfriend. We both laughed as I sat over him, punching his shoulders and chest. The others laughed at us as Ron eventually managed to throw me back over to my own side of the bed, calming us both down.

Once everyone had calmed down - and Ron had finished complaining about the bruises that I had given him - we all settled onto the beds and started chatting with each other. They were talking to me about everything that had happened between Cedric and me over the summer and how the two of us had spent our summer. I could tell that Hermione was trying to get me to listen to my parents' request while Ginny was telling me to go for it. As usual, Ron and Harry wanted me to end things with Cedric. I made it very clear that I wouldn't. Not after how long I had been crushing on him.

There was no way that I was giving up on the relationship. "Just be careful. We all know that you're happy with him. But you'll make things much worse with your parents if you get caught," Ginny explained reasonably.

"I know," I said.

"Or you two could just -"

"Knock it off," I interrupted Harry.

Neither he nor Ron would ever be okay with the relationship. Not even when I was a fully grown adult. We all started laughing as everyone took their spots. I leaned onto Ron's lap and kicked my feet up into Harry's. They both laughed at me as I did. I fiddled with the chain hanging around my neck, keeping it out of sight of the others. They would all know that it was the necklace that Cedric had bought me - the one that showed my happiest memories. I was sick of them making fun of my relationship. It was enough for one day.

"Percy's enjoying work, then?" Harry asked, watching the Chudley Cannons zooming in and out of the posters on the ceiling.

"Enjoying it? I don't reckon he'd come home if Dad didn't make him. He's obsessed," Percy said darkly.

"I've only seen him once or twice all summer. He's always in his room, working," I said.

"Be grateful for it," Ron groaned.

He was definitely the most bitter about Percy's new job. "Hey, he's got a job that he loves. Nothing wrong with that," I pointed out.

"He just doesn't have to be so pompous about it!" Ron barked.

"It's like you don't even know Percy," I laughed.

Ron huffed again. "Just don't get him onto the subject of his boss. According to Mr. Crouch... as I was saying to Mr. Crouch... Mr. Crouch is of the opinion... Mr. Crouch was telling me... They'll be announcing their engagement any day now."

"So... I take it Percy left you for Mr. Crouch? You can be bitter, Ron. Honestly, we understand," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Shut up, Tara!" Ron barked.

He instantly jumped onto me, knocking Harry away from me, as he began whacking me on the shoulder. The two of us wrestled for a few minutes, laughing hysterically, as I threw Ron down onto the floor. Ginny clearly got a good kick out of seeing her older brother get bullied. I could tell that Hermione was trying very hard not to laugh. Harry was making it no secret that he found the whole thing humorous. I pushed Ron on the floor a few more times before finally allowing him back up to his spot on the bed again.

"Have you had a good summer, Harry? Did you get our food parcels and everything?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, thanks a lot. They saved my life, those cakes," Harry said.

"Except they made for a few really sick nights from overeating," I said, remembering almost getting sick in his bathroom one night. Everyone laughed.

"And have you heard from - ?" Ron began, but at a look from Hermione, he fell silent.

One kick in the stomach from me and he backpedaled. I knew Ron had been about to ask about Sirius. Ron and Hermione had been so deeply involved in helping Sirius escape from the Ministry of Magic that they were almost as concerned about our godfather as we were. However, discussing him in front of Ginny was a bad idea. We loved Ginny, but Sirius was a subject that couldn't be broached until his innocence really had been proven. Nobody but ourselves, my parents, and Professor Dumbledore knew about how Sirius had escaped or believed in his innocence.

"I think they've stopped arguing," Hermione said, to cover the awkward moment because Ginny was looking curiously from Ron to Harry to me. "Shall we go down and help your mum with dinner?"

"Yeah, all right," Ron said.

"Dinner!" I chirped happily.

Having not eaten lately, I was starving. I was more concerned with trying to avoid my parents in the immediate aftermath of the Cedric debacle. The five of us left Ron's room and went back downstairs to find Mrs. Weasley alone in the kitchen, looking extremely bad-tempered. I raised a brow as I looked around for Fred and George. I wasn't sure where the two of them had gone. They were probably sulking around with their tails tucked between their legs after what I assumed was a good reaming from Mrs. Weasley.

"We're eating out in the garden," Mrs. Weasley said when they came in. "There's just not room for twelve people in here. Could you take the plates outside, girls? Bill and Charlie are setting up the tables."

No problem," I said.

"Knives and forks, please, you two," Mrs. Weasley added to Ron and Harry.

The shortness of her voice told me that she wasn't one to be trifled with right now. The easiest thing to do would be to agree with whatever it was that she wanted. She pointed her wand a little more vigorously than she had intended at a pile of potatoes in the sink, which shot out of their skins so fast that they ricocheted off the walls and ceiling. I ducked down, just barely missing getting splashed by a large pile of the potatoes.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Mrs. Weasley snapped, now directing her wand at a dustpan, which hopped off the sideboard and started skating across the floor, scooping up the potatoes.

"Is she okay?" I whispered to Ron.

"Doesn't look like it," he answered.

"Those two!" Mrs. Weasley burst out savagely, now pulling pots and pans out of a cupboard, and I knew she meant Fred and George. "I don't know what's going to happen to them, I really don't. No ambition, unless you count making as much trouble as they possibly can..."

"But they are quite good at what they do," I muttered quietly.

She completely ignored me. I just felt bad for the twins. I loved them and understood how much they loved the joke shop. They deserved to be allowed to do whatever it was that made them happy. Even if it was something that Mrs. Weasley deemed a bad career choice. They simply weren't like their parents or older brothers. Mrs. Weasley slammed a large copper saucepan down on the kitchen table and began to wave her wand around inside it. A creamy sauce poured from the wand tip as she stirred.

"It's not as though they haven't got brains," Mrs. Weasley continued irritably, taking the saucepan over to the stove and lighting it with a further poke of her wand, "But they're wasting them, and unless they pull themselves together soon, they'll be in real trouble. I've had more owls from Hogwarts about them than the rest put together. If they carry on the way they're going, they'll end up in front of the Improper Use of Magic Office."

Mrs. Weasley jabbed her wand at the cutlery drawer, which shot open. Harry, Ron, and I jumped out of the way as several knives soared out of it, flew across the kitchen, and began chopping the potatoes, which had just been tipped back into the sink by the dustpan. I was sure that all three of us would have just been skewered against the walls if we hadn't jumped out of the way. I glanced at Ron and Harry, ignoring the calls from Hermione and Ginny to come help them. I was more curious about what Mrs. Weasley was saying about the twins.

"I don't know where we went wrong with them," Mrs. Weasley continued, putting down her wand and starting to pull out still more saucepans. "It's been the same for years, one thing after another, and they won't listen to - OH NOT AGAIN!"

Mrs. Weasley had picked up her wand from the table, and it had emitted a loud squeak and turned into a giant rubber mouse. I covered my mouth to keep myself from laughing. She was furious and the last thing that I wanted was to make her even angrier. Especially with everything that she was doing for us right now. But it was rather funny that she had picked up another one of Fred and George's fake wands. I thought that they were rather cheesy, but it was the reaction of the person trying to use it that was the real joke.

"One of their fake wands again! How many times have I told them not to leave them lying around?" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

She grabbed her real wand and turned around to find that the sauce on the stove was smoking. "C'mon," Ron said hurriedly to Harry and me, seizing a handful of cutlery from the open drawer, "let's go and help Bill and Charlie."

The three of us left Mrs. Weasley and headed out the back door into the yard. Hermione and Ginny had been waiting for us. I assumed that they had overheard everything that Mrs. Weasley had been saying. It would have been hard not to. It was one of the loudest that I had ever heard her - save the Howler that she had sent Ron at the beginning of Second Year after we had stolen their flying Ford Anglia and accidentally driven it right into the Whomping Willow. Maybe Mrs. Weasley did have a reason to be yelling at her kids...

"Poor Fred and George," I muttered.

"If they worked a little harder in school -"

"That's not what they want to do, Hermione," I interrupted her. "Not everyone is amazing at school. And, even if they are, not everyone's passions lay there. Fred and George are really smart. They're wonderful in Charms, but they don't want to work in the Ministry. They love to make people laugh. They're going to do wonderfully with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

"But they should really try harder in school," Hermione pointed out quietly.

"Who cares? They love jokes and everyone loves them," I said.

"Think they're really going to make the joke shop work?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Yes, I do. I'm rooting for them," I said.

"They'll need some money to start the joke shop out of Hogwarts. That means that they'll have to have real jobs once they get out of Hogwarts," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Who said that the joke shop wasn't a real job?" I asked seriously. "And they've got me!"

"You have money?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Given to me by my parents and grandparents to do with as I please. And I care to support the joke shop," I said seriously.

"I'm with you, Tara," Ginny said happily.

"It's just not practical," Hermione whispered.

"The things we love usually aren't," I said sweetly.

It was the entire truth. Dad had been a professional Quidditch player. It wasn't something that was practical. In school, everyone had told him that it was an unrealistic dream. But he had managed. He had done it well. And so would the twins. The five us of had only gone a few paces when Hermione's bandy-legged ginger cat, Crookshanks, came pelting out of the garden, bottle-brush tail held high in the air, chasing what looked like a muddy potato on legs. I recognized it instantly as a gnome. They were some of the most disgusting creatures around.

But we were quite used to them at the Burrow. They lived in the garden and seemed to hang around quite a bit. I assumed that it was because the Weasley's were a rather amusing family. Barely ten inches high, the gnomes horny little feet pattered very fast as it sprinted across the yard and dived headlong into one of the Wellington boots that lay scattered around the door. I could hear the gnome giggling madly as Crookshanks inserted a paw into the boot, trying to reach it. Meanwhile, a very loud crashing noise was coming from the other side of the house.

We all whipped around to see what was happening. The source of the commotion was revealed as the five of us entered the garden, and saw that Bill and Charlie both had their wands out, and were making two battered old tables fly high above the lawn, smashing into each other, each attempting to knock the other's out of the air. Fred and George were cheering, Ginny was laughing, and Hermione was hovering near the hedge, apparently torn between amusement and anxiety. I immediately began laughing.

Where the hell had Percy come from? He was so different from the rest of his family. Bill's table caught Charlie's with a huge bang and knocked one of its legs off. Everyone laughed as it went shooting across the yard. There was a clatter from overhead, and we all looked up to see Percy's head poking out of a window on the second floor. He looked even more stressed out than he had been a few minutes ago. I couldn't understand what he was doing working when everyone was having fun downstairs in the garden.

"Will you keep it down!" Percy bellowed.

"Sorry, Perce. How're the cauldron bottoms coming on?" Bill asked, grinning.

"Very badly," Percy said peevishly, and he slammed the window shut.

I turned to Bill and Charlie. "Oh, come one, one more time," I goaded.

Bill laughed, shaking his head. "No. You have to wait a while for him to calm down and then do it again."

"Touche," I agreed.

Perhaps we could all annoy Percy a little bit later. Right now, it was definitely the best idea to keep the annoyance with the older Weasley's to a minimum. Chuckling at Percy's aggravation, Bill and Charlie directed the tables safely onto the grass, end to end, and then, with a flick of his wand, Bill reattached the table leg and conjured tablecloths from nowhere. These were the moments that I wished I could do magic on my own. I hated having to wait another few years until I was legal. But, at the sight of food, I grinned excitedly.

By seven o'clock, the two tables were groaning under dishes and dishes of Mrs. Weasley's excellent cooking, and the nine Weasley's, Harry, Hermione, and I were settling themselves down to eat beneath a clear, deep-blue sky. Everything smelled wonderful and looked even better. Harry looked like he was in heaven. To somebody who had been living on meals of increasingly stale cake all summer, this was paradise, and at first, Harry seemed to be listening rather than talking as he helped himself to chicken and ham pie, boiled potatoes, and salad.

Fred and George spent much of the meal teasing me. I rolled my eyes at the twins. They couldn't stop harassing me for more than a few minutes. It was interesting to talk to Charlie about his work with dragons in Romania and Bill turned out to have quite a good taste in music. Ginny was the most confident I had ever seen her around Harry. I assumed she was slowly growing out of her crush. Hermione was, obviously, excited to start the new term. At the far end of the table, Percy was telling his father all about his report on cauldron bottoms.

"I've told Mr. Crouch that I'll have it ready by Tuesday," Percy was saying pompously. "That's a bit sooner than he expected it, but I like to keep on top of things. I think he'll be grateful I've done it in good time, I mean, it's extremely busy in our department just now, what with all the arrangements for the World Cup. We're just not getting the support we need from the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ludo Bagman -"

"I like Ludo. He was the one who got us such good tickets for the Cup. I did him a bit of a favor: His brother, Otto, got into a spot of trouble - a lawnmower with unnatural powers - I smoothed the whole thing over," Mr. Weasley said mildly.

"Oh Bagman's likable enough, of course, but how he ever got to be Head of Department... when I compare him to Mr. Crouch!" Percy said dismissively. "I can't see Mr. Crouch losing a member of our department and not trying to find out what's happened to them. You realize Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over a month now? Went on holiday to Albania and never came back?"

"Yes, I was asking Ludo about that. He says Bertha's gotten lost plenty of times before now - though I must say, if it was someone in my department, I'd be worried..." Mr. Weasley said, frowning.

"Oh, Bertha's hopeless, all right. I hear she's been shunted from department to department for years, much more trouble than she's worth... but all the same, Bagman ought to be trying to find her. Mr. Crouch has been taking a personal interest, she worked in our department at one time, you know, and I think Mr. Crouch was quite fond of her - but Bagman just keeps laughing and saying she probably misread the map and ended up in Australia instead of Albania. However," Percy heaved an impressive sigh and took a deep swig of elder-flower wine, "we've got quite enough on our plates at the Department of International Magical Cooperation without trying to find members of other departments too. As you know, we've got another big event to organize right after the World Cup."

Percy cleared his throat significantly and looked down toward the end of the table where Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I were sitting. I rolled my eyes. I had heard Mom and Dad talking about some event that was going on. Apparently, Dad would have to start planning it the moment the World Cup was over. He had promised me that I would hear about it soon enough and that was the last that we had talked about it. I didn't really care. If it was being organized by Barty Crouch and the Ministry of Magic, I wasn't interested.

"You know the one I'm talking about, Father." Percy raised his voice slightly. "The top-secret one."

Ron rolled his eyes and muttered to Harry, Hermione, and me, "He's been trying to get us to ask what that event is ever since he started work. Probably an exhibition of thick-bottomed cauldrons."

I snorted in amusement. I couldn't believe that Percy was that thrilled with writing reports on cauldron bottoms. It wasn't that thrilling. In fact, it sounded quite boring for someone who had graduated at the top of their class. I had originally thought Percy would end up doing something much more important with his time after school. In the middle of the table, it seemed that Mrs. Weasley was arguing with Bill about his snake earring, which seemed to be a recent acquisition.

"... with a horrible great fang on it. Really, Bill, what do they say at the bank?"

"Mum, no one at the bank gives a damn how I dress as long as I bring home plenty of treasure," Bill said patiently.

"And your hair's getting silly, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, fingering her wand lovingly. "I wish you'd let me give it a trim..."

"I like it," Ginny said, who was sitting beside Bill. "You're so old-fashioned, Mum. Anyway, it's nowhere near as long as Professor Dumbledore's..."

Mrs. Weasley was a little old-fashioned. I agreed with Ginny. The earring looked quite good on Bill. I could tell that he was the most fashion-forward of the Weasley's. As Mrs. Weasley continued arguing with Bill about the earring - with Ginny's support to her brother - and Mr. Weasley continued chatting with Percy about the Ministry, I glanced elsewhere. I wasn't interested in talking about school with Hermione. Next, to Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, and Charlie were all talking spiritedly about the World Cup.

"It's got to be Ireland," Charlie said thickly, through a mouthful of potato. "They flattened Peru in the semifinals."

"Bulgaria has got Viktor Krum, though," Fred said.

"Krum's one decent player, Ireland has got seven," Charlie said shortly.

"Ireland will win," I put in.

"You're so sure?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Hell, yeah!" I chirped excitedly. I would be furious if Ireland didn't win. "Ireland plays dirty and fast. They're much more entertaining than Bulgaria, even though Krum's got a little bit of a flair."

Charlie nodded in agreement. "I wish England had got through. That was embarrassing, that was."

"It's been years since England got in," I explained to Harry. "It was the United States that were an utter embarrassment this year!"

They hadn't even made it into the finals for the World Cup... "They've been going downhill since your father left," Charlie said.

"Oh, I know. I'm almost tempted to try out for them after Hogwarts," I responded.

"You might make it. Or you could go for England's team. They could use the help," Charlie told me.

"What happened?" Harry asked eagerly. I could tell that he was regretting more than ever his isolation from the Wizarding World when he was stuck on Privet Drive. I was his only source of information.

"Went down to Transylvania, three hundred and ninety to ten," Charlie said gloomily.

"And Transylvania never does that well," I added.

"Shocking performance. And Wales lost to Uganda, and Scotland was slaughtered by Luxembourg," Charlie moaned.

Of all of the things in the Wizarding World that Harry loved, there was nothing that he loved more than Quidditch. Something that I had tried to help instill in him. The two of us had been on the Gryffindor House Quidditch team ever since our First Year at Hogwarts and we both owned some of the best racing brooms in the world, the Firebolt. Flying came more naturally to me than anything else in the magical world, having had a professional Quidditch player for a father, and I played in the position of Alternate Chaser on the Gryffindor House team.

Mr. Weasley conjured up candles to light the darkening garden before we had our homemade strawberry ice cream, and by the time we had finished, moths were fluttering low over the table, and the warm air was perfumed with the smells of grass and honeysuckle. It reminded me of one of the many outdoor nights that I had spent in Florida. I was feeling extremely well fed and at peace with the world as I watched several gnomes sprinting through the rosebushes, laughing madly and closely pursued by Crookshanks.

Ron looked carefully up the table to check that the rest of the family were all busy talking, then he said very quietly to Harry and me, "So - have you heard from Sirius lately?"

Hermione looked around, listening closely. "Yeah, twice. He wrote to you three times, right, Tara?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yeah," I whispered back.

"He sounds okay. I wrote to him yesterday. He might write back while I'm here," Harry said.

"He stopped by the day after we made it back home," I told the other two.

I hadn't wanted to write Hermione or Ron about that night and I hadn't been able to tell them when I had visited since the rest of their families were always around. Their eyes widened. "He did?" Hermione whispered.

"Yeah. Just for dinner. Wanted to see Mom and Dad and get some more time with Harry and me in a less stressful environment, I assume," I said.

"Wish we could have seen him again," Ron said.

"He sends his best," I told them.

It would have been nice for Ron and Hermione to see Sirius again, but he hadn't been there long enough. Perhaps we would all be able to see him soon enough. Very suddenly I remembered the reason we had written to Sirius, and for a moment I was on the verge of telling Ron and Hermione about Harry's scar hurting again and my hand burning, and about the dream that had awoken us both... but I really didn't want to worry them just now, not when I was feeling so happy and peaceful. No use worrying them over nothing.

"Look at the time," Mrs. Weasley said suddenly, checking her wristwatch. "You really should be in bed, the whole lot of you - you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get to the Cup. Harry, Tara, if you two leave your school lists out, I'll get your things for you tomorrow in Diagon Alley. Julia and I will be getting everyone else's. She'll meet you later tomorrow night at the World Cup. There might not be time after the World Cup anyway, the match went on for five days last time."

"Wow - hope it does this time!" Harry said enthusiastically.

"It was over a week when I went in the States," I said.

Harry and Ron exchanged a look before gasping, "Awesome!"

A week of watching the best Quidditch players in the world... I couldn't wait. "Well, I certainly don't," Percy said sanctimoniously. "I shudder to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days."

"Cauldrons are keeping you that busy, eh?" I asked only half-teasingly.

"Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?" Fred asked.

"That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!" Percy shouted, going very red in the face. "It was nothing personal!"

"It was," Fred whispered to Harry and me as we got up from the table. "We sent it."

That sent us into a fit of giggles. "Brilliant, boys," I whispered to the twins.

"Time for bed!" Mrs. Weasley called.

Everyone stood from the tables and moved towards the stairs to go to bed. I yawned softly. It had been a long few days. Mrs. Weasley offered to clean the tables since she was the only one who wasn't going to have to start moving around first thing tomorrow morning. I gave everyone a quick hug as I headed off. Charlie and Bill were the first up to the twins' room along with Percy to his own. Hermione and Ginny passed me to head up to her room as I hung back. I wanted to talk to Fred and George before I went to sleep.

Ron and Harry were hanging back, too. I gave them both bear hugs as they headed to sleep. I figured that they wouldn't actually go to bed for hours with the twins also in the room. George lifted me off of the ground as he hugged me. I went to pull him off to the side when he was called upstairs by Percy, who seemed to be blaming him for something having been done to his bed. I started laughing again as Fred fell into step with me, running off. Apparently, he was the real culprit. The two of us ducked under the staircase and hid from Percy.

As we hung back around the banister, I turned to Fred. "You didn't tell me that your mother was quite as upset about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes as she really is. I didn't realize things had gotten as bad over the summer as they had," I said softly.

"It's alright, Tara. She just doesn't understand," Fred said carelessly.

"Maybe. But she will. She'll understand and believe in you two. Just the way that I do," I said sweetly.

Fred arched a brow curiously. "The way you do, huh?"

I groaned. "Oh, don't make me regret saying that to you."

"You really believe that this will work?"

There was something vulnerable in his voice that broke my heart. "You two might be complete fools half the time, but I genuinely believe that you're two of the smartest people I've ever met. You have as much drive as Percy does - you just use it in a different way. There's nothing wrong with that. Your mother will see that soon enough. In the meantime, you've always got me," I teased.

Fred was quiet for a long time before saying, "I can't believe you just compared me to Percy."

My eyes narrowed. "That's what you gathered from that?" I snapped.

"Thank you, Tara. That means a lot," Fred said honestly.

"Wow... I think that's the most serious I've ever heard you," I said.

"What can I say? You bring out a new side of me," Fred joked.

Or maybe it wasn't a complete joke. He seemed a little bit serious about it. I smiled at Fred as I blew out a puff of breath, trying to brush off his constant teasing. It sounded like Percy was done yelling at George so the two of us turned to head back to bed. We marched up the stairs slowly as we came to the landing with Ginny's bedroom. Fred grinned and gave me a hug, pressing a small kiss against my cheek, as he had done so many times before. My stomach gave the slightest jolt as Fred pulled away and turned to head off towards Ron's room.

Before he could get too far, I called after him. "Hey! You go finding some new girlfriend and bring her in as a partner in this whole thing and replace me, I'll hunt you down and kick your ass."

Fred grinned, shaking his head. "Nah. No one can ever replace you. As much as we might want them to."

"Funny," I snapped.

We both smiled at each other. "You know... the moonlight is nice and romantic -"

"Stop it," I barked. He constantly did stupid things like that to me. "Gonna keep messing with me?"

"Who said I was messing with you?" Fred asked.

It was the smile that he was giving me right now. That was the reason that I always thought he was messing with me. That damn playful grin. "The only time I can recall you being serious is when you thought that Ginny was going to die down in the Chamber of Secrets. Other than that, you've been a complete moron," I said.

"That's not nice," Fred teased.

"Who said I was nice?" I shot back.

The two of us stared at each other for a minute before we started laughing hysterically. For a moment I thought about running off to Ginny's room to get away from the somewhat awkward air but I relaxed and leaned over to shove Fred. Unfortunately, he was much steadier on his feet than I was. I had wanted him to fall, but instead, I did. Fred managed to lean over and catch me at the last moment. He didn't instantly release me. Instead, I found myself wrapped in his arms. I was a little startled by what had just happened. Why was it so strange for me to be standing so close to him?

"Who's still on the stairs?" Mrs. Weasley's voice called.

The two of us instantly shot apart. "We are, mum!" Fred called awkwardly.

"Both of you should be getting to bed. You'll be leaving at first light," Mrs. Weasley called.

"Sorry. Mrs. Weasley. We're heading to bed now. Goodnight!" I yelled into her.

"Goodnight!" she responded.

The two of us turned and headed back up to the bedrooms. On our way, I shoved into Fred roughly. "Look what you've done! Gone and gotten the both of us in trouble," I teased.

"That was your fault!" Fred shot back.

And it really was my fault. I was the one who had pushed him and ended up falling into his arms, making Mrs. Weasley hear us. We both laughed and I let out a deep breath. I was glad that things seemed to be getting back to normal with the two of us. We stopped on the landing for Ginny's room and I turned to Fred. We exchanged a quick and friendly hug before I moved into Ginny's room - which I was sharing with Hermione - and Fred headed up to Ron's. Thankfully that funny feeling I'd had earlier was gone.

As I wandered into Ginny's room, I grabbed my things and slipped into the bathroom. Hermione and Ginny were already ready for bed. After I had pulled up my hair, changed into my pajamas, and washed my face and teeth, I hung in front of the mirror. I reached down into my pajama shirt and pulled out the locket that showed my happiest memories. At first, much to my surprise, it was a brief frame of Fred and myself. We were standing on the staircase together, much closer than I had originally thought that we were standing.

It then shifted to a frame of myself laying on the couch with Cedric in my house over the summer, kissing, right before my parents had walked in. That seemed a little more likely. I laughed softly as I closed the locket and slipped it back into my shirt. I had almost forgotten about that day. But still... there was something odd about the first frame. It was very rare that I saw anyone other than Cedric, Harry, Ron, or Hermione in the locket. Occasionally my parents slipped in. I had never seen Fred. Where did that one even come from?

"Where were you?" Ginny asked as I walked back into the bedroom.

"Plotting with the twins," I teased.

For some reason, I didn't mention that I had only been with Fred. "That's never good," Ginny giggled.

"Oh, it'll be fine for everyone other than Percy," I said.

It surprised me that even Hermione laughed at that one. She might have believed in hard work and studies, but even she thought that Percy was a little bit stuck-up. And he was. The three of us laughed for a few minutes as we all slipped into our beds. Ginny plopped into her own as I took one of the beds that had been placed on the floor. Hermione took the other. I wrapped a blanket around myself as I turned to face the other two. The need to mess with Ginny was stronger than ever before.

"In other news, you never mentioned that Bill is kind of hot," I said quietly.

"Ew!" Ginny gasped.

We all laughed. "Actually... he kind of is," Hermione whispered.

That was all that it took. The three of us began laughing hysterically, tucking our faces into our pillows to keep anyone from hearing us. Ginny gave both of us a disgusted look. Of course, that was our brother. I just couldn't help it. Bill was kind of hot and I knew that it would get to her if I said it. I smiled at Ginny as we all relaxed and began gossiping about anything and everything under the sun that had happened this summer. I knew that I would be exhausted in the morning, but I didn't care. I was finally back home.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _As the Weasley's, Harry, Hermione, and the Nox's head to the Quidditch World Cup, Tara reunites with Cedric - but things don't exactly go as planned._ Another short chapter here and the next one likely will be too. Here's hoping that you all enjoyed this one. Thanks for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Vincent FGS91: Well I always look forward to your reviews! There will definitely be quite a bit of eventfulness in the upcoming chapters.** **We definitely might see some of Tara's old friends! I actually hadn't thought about doing that but I like that idea. I'll have to keep that in mind. Glad you liked it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**

 **GreySkys: Another chapter! Oh, that makes me so happy to hear! This has been so much fun to write so I'm glad that you're also having fun reading it. I just couldn't resist having Dudley think that Tara was dating Fred and planting that seed in her mind lol. I always imagined Julia having a much easier time with Tara dating than Marcus would. Can't admit what's going to happen to Tara in regards to the Triwizard Tournament, but I hope that you'll like it either way! Same with her relationship with Mad-Eye. As for everything else, not to fear. You'll get your answers soon! Shit is definitely going to hit the fan this year. Thank you for the wonderful review! Life's been going pretty well for me and I hope it has been for you, as well. Hope you liked this chapter!**

 **Son of Whitebeard: Cedric will definitely get a much bigger role once they're at Hogwarts. For now, he'll kind of pop in and out.**

 **pottersimpala67: I'm so glad that you love the story! I can't believe that you read over a million words that fast! But that seriously makes me so happy. Even I'm also a little terrified to choose what I want to write!** **I'm so glad that you love Cedric and Tara's relationship! They're so much fun to write and I absolutely love him. Killing him would break my heart but Tara's personality would really develop and, you're right, it would be interesting to see what happens in regards to Fred and Draco. I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too!**


	6. The Portkey

It felt as though I had barely lain down to sleep in Ginny's room when I was being shaken awake by Mrs. Weasley. It had definitely been a bad idea to stay awake with Ginny and Hermione for a few hours - most of which had been spent gossiping about Cedric and the other boys that we found attractive in Hogwarts. Now I was regretting that decision. I buried my face in the pillows, desperate for a few more minutes of sleep. Judging by the lack of light in the room, I assumed that it was still the middle of the night. It was saying something that even Hermione wasn't up yet.

"Time to go, Tara, dear," Mrs. Weasley whispered, moving away to wake Ginny.

"Already?" I mumbled drunkenly.

"Yes. Get dressed and don't go back to sleep," Mrs. Weasley warned.

Five minutes... I just needed five more minutes. "Damn, it's early," I growled.

At least when we were in the United States, Dad had prime tickets. We only had to show up a few minutes before game time. Not this time, unfortunately. I rolled over in the bed, practically flopping onto the wooden floor, and sat up. As I had expected, it was still dark outside. Ginny muttered indistinctly as her mother roused her. She was about as good with morning's as I was. At the foot of my mattress I saw one rather small, disheveled shape emerging from tangles of blankets. Even Hermione looked a little bit surprised to have to be waking up this early.

She was quick to get to her feet as I rolled back over onto the bed. "'S' time already?" Ginny asked groggily.

As I drove my head back into the pillows, Hermione plopped herself onto my bed. I groaned and kicked at her to leave me alone. "Come on," Hermione hissed.

"How are you so awake?" I groaned.

"I've always been an early riser. You know that," Hermione pointed out.

That was true. In our First Year of Hogwarts, Hermione had woken us all up three hours early. But the sun had been up, at least. "Not this early," I snapped.

Hermione groaned, fed up with me. "Get up!" she barked, whacking me on the shoulder. "Don't go back to sleep."

"Oh, Mione…"

This was one fight that I wasn't going to win. So, I dropped out of the bed into a backflip and began stumbling around the room. Hermione looked rather impressed but said nothing. Her eyes had dark circles underneath them that were enough to tell me that she was as tired as I was. She just wasn't going to let me know. I grabbed my overnight bag, changed into a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans, ran a brush through my hair, and quickly pulled on my shoes. Thankfully the twins hadn't done anything to them while I had been asleep - as they were known to do.

Hermione and Ginny dressed in their own clothes in silence, all of us too sleepy to talk, then, yawning and stretching, I decided to get ahead of the curve. The two of them weren't done getting ready for the trip but I knew that if I waited in the bedroom, I was going to end up asleep all over again. Letting the girls know that I was heading down for breakfast, I slowly made my way downstairs - trying to be very careful to not fall face-first down them from exhaustion - and wandered into the kitchen. It looked like I had made it there just moments after the boys.

Mrs. Weasley was stirring the contents of a large pot on the stove, while Mr. Weasley was sitting at the table, checking a sheaf of large parchment tickets. Harry, Ron, Fred, and George looked just about as tired as I was. I smiled weakly at them and fell into their step. Mr. Weasley looked up as the five of us entered and spread his arms so that we could see his clothes more clearly. He was wearing what appeared to be a golfing sweater and a very old pair of jeans, slightly too big for him and held up with a thick leather belt. It was an eclectic mixture.

"Come here," I hissed at Fred.

"What?" he asked, looking surprised.

He probably thought that I was planning on yelling at him. "Just come here," I goaded.

Harry was too short and Ron looked even weaker than I was right now. George had already walked off to get himself breakfast, so he was useless. Fred walked over suspiciously and, as he finally came to stand next to me, I leaned against him to get a few more minutes of sleep. I really shouldn't have stayed up so late with Ginny and Hermione. It was definitely a bad idea. I must have ended up only getting two or three hours of sleep. Fred didn't seem bothered by my using him as a mattress. In fact, after a few moments, his head drooped down against my own.

"What do you think? We're supposed to go incognito - do I look like a Muggle, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Yeah, very good," Harry said, smiling.

And he actually did. He just looked like a rather nerdy father who was on his way to play golf. It was better than I would have thought that he could do. "It looks wonderful," I said truthfully.

Mr. Weasley smiled at me gratefully and said, "Excellent."

We smiled back. Mr. Weasley was definitely the most excited person right now. I didn't understand how he was awake. I figured that Dad would be grumpy once he got here. He was about as much of a morning person as I was. Coffee would have been much appreciated right now, but unfortunately, the Weasley's preferred tea. So I settled for a few extra minutes of sleep. Fred's arm rested over my shoulder as the two of us slipped in between being awake and asleep while still concentrating on not falling. I was almost asleep again when Fred started to poke my shoulder.

He spoke before I could get a chance to snap at him to leave me alone and let me sleep. "Hey. What were you saying happened with Diggory?" Fred asked curiously.

Now that woke me up. "What?" I asked dumbly, lifting my head from his shoulder.

"You mentioned something last time we were on the phone. Did something happen?" Fred asked.

That's right... I had mentioned that I didn't want my parents thinking that I was talking to Cedric when I had been talking with them on the phone yesterday. Fred was staring at me. I debated on not saying anything - since it was a little embarrassing that my parents were keeping such a close eye on me and I knew that he would make fun of me for it - but I decided to tell him anyway. Even if I didn't mention anything, Harry or Ron would likely tell him. And, if not them, I was sure that Dad would make some mention of his dislike for Cedric during the World Cup.

"My parents caught us," I said, as simply as possible.

Fred's eyes widened. He stared at me questioningly and I nodded. "Bet you heard about it," Fred said slowly.

"Just about the same way that you did from your mother about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Yeah, I got a good reaming for it. Mom has since calmed down but Dad's still on the warpath. Wanted us to break it off," I explained.

The two of us were quiet for a little while. I was leaned up against Fred's chest so it was easy to feel the tenseness in his stance. I felt the slightest bit bad about the conversation. I knew that Fred didn't like Cedric and never really liked talking about him. But I had to say something about it because I knew someone would bring it up once we got to the World Cup. Dad would, at least. The room went quiet again as Fred processed what I had just told him. I wasn't sure if he was going to take it seriously or make a joke.

"Let me take a guess and say you're not going to do that," Fred suggested.

It turned out that he was going to be serious. "No. I'm not," I said honestly.

"You're going to make things worse," Fred said.

"Are you going to stop making the joke shop?" I shot back.

Fred was quiet for a few moments as he thought. "Point taken," he finally said. I nodded. "So, you and Diggory? Things still going well?"

These were always awkward conversations. "We haven't seen each other much over the past few days but we spent a lot of the summer together. Things were good right up until that point," I explained. Fred nodded, still looking bitter about my relationship with Cedric, as always. "What about you? Find any girls that suit your fancy?"

His lips turned up in a grin. "Too many to count."

I rolled my eyes. "You're a pig."

The thought of Fred with that many girls sent a spike of... disgust? Was that what it was? I wasn't quite sure. "Just kidding," Fred teased, throwing an arm over the front of my shoulder. I knocked back into him roughly, making him laugh. "We'll have to wait and see who's good enough."

"And the head continues to grow," I teased.

The one big difference between Fred and George was that Fred was definitely more confident than his twin. George was, too, but Fred was a little more outspoken about it. We both laughed as we went back to leaning up against the couch. Fred leaned up against the edge of the couch as I leaned back against him. I was propped in between his legs, resting back against his chest again. His arms folded over my shoulders and rested against my stomach. I was almost back asleep when someone spoke again.

"Where are Bill and Charlie and Per-Per-Percy?" George asked, failing to stifle a huge yawn.

"Well, they're Apparating, aren't they?" Mrs. Weasley explained, heaving the large pot over to the table and starting to ladle porridge into bowls. "So they can have a bit of a lie-in."

"Damn them," I growled.

They were lucky that they got to sleep in. I wished that we could Apparate to the World Cup. But I assumed that they didn't want to have Harry and Hermione going with us that way. They would likely hate it. Harry looked quite confused. From what I had told him, he knew that Apparating meant disappearing from one place and reappearing almost instantly in another. Seeing as we hadn't known any Seventh Years, he had never known any Hogwarts student to do it, especially since it was very difficult. My parents were able to do it, but he'd only seen them do it once.

"So they're still in bed?" Fred asked grumpily. He pushed off of the couch and pulled me back toward the dining table. I dropped in between Harry and Ron. I pulled my bowl of porridge toward me. "Why can't we Apparate too?"

"Because you're not of age and you haven't passed your test," Mrs. Weasley snapped.

She was clearly still upset with them for their stunt with Dudley. I turned to the twins with an arched brow. They were only sixteen. "You realize that you have to be seventeen to even take the test, right?" I asked the twins.

"Yeah, yeah," George huffed, waving me off.

"And where have those girls got to?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Where did Hermione and Ginny go? I assumed that Ginny was taking forever to get ready and Hermione was trying to get her out of the bedroom. It was rare that I was ready before either one of them. But I supposed that it was because, as tired as I was, I was still incredibly excited to get to the World Cup. Mrs. Weasley bustled out of the kitchen and I heard her climbing the stairs. She likely wasn't going to be happy with the fact that she would have to wake the girls up twice. Even the boys were already up, after all.

"You have to pass a test to Apparate?" Harry asked.

"Trust me, it's for the best," I said honestly.

"Oh yes," Mr. Weasley added, tucking the tickets safely into the back pocket of his jeans. "The Department of Magical Transportation had to fine a couple of people the other day for Apparating without a license. It's not easy, Apparition, and when it's not done properly it can lead to nasty complications. This pair I'm talking about went and splinched themselves."

Oh man... It was always disgusting to have to see people who were splinched. I had seen hundreds of cases of splinching when I had been back in the United States and Mom had worked in St. Dorin's. Whenever I would visit her we would normally see at least three cases. It happened to more people than I had initially realized. Everyone around the table except Harry winced. The last case that I had seen was of a young woman who had tried without a license and had lost half of her torso for almost a week before they'd been able to make her whole again.

"Er - splinched?" Harry asked.

"They left half of themselves behind," Mr. Weasley explained, now spooning large amounts of treacle onto his porridge. "So, of course, they were stuck. Couldn't move either way. Had to wait for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to sort them out. Meant a fair old bit of paperwork, I can tell you, what with the Muggles who spotted the body parts they'd left behind..."

Splinching was the one reason that I never wanted to try Apparating. I was definitely afraid of that ever happening to me. It seemed very painful and horribly frightening. But I had done Side-Apparating with Mom and Dad before. The worst part of that was the fact that you normally vomited after trying it for the first time. Harry looked very much like he was about to be sick. I had a sudden vision of a pair of legs and an eyeball lying abandoned on the pavement of Privet Drive. A leg was much more likely.

"Was it a leg?" I asked Mr. Weasley curiously.

"And an arm, I believe," he responded thoughtfully.

"Always with the legs and arms..." I muttered.

"Were they okay?" Harry asked, startled.

"Oh yes. But they got a heavy fine, and I don't think they'll be trying it again in a hurry. You don't mess around with Apparition. There are plenty of adult wizards who don't bother with it. Prefer brooms - slower, but safer," Mr. Weasley said matter-of-factly.

"But Bill and Charlie and Percy can all do it?" Harry asked.

"Charlie had to take the test twice," Fred said, grinning.

"Did he really?" I asked curiously.

From the way Mrs. Weasley spoke about Charlie, I would have never guessed that he'd ever failed the Apparition test. "Yeah. He failed the first time, Apparated five miles south of where he meant to, right on top of some poor old dear doing her shopping, remember?" Fred explained.

I snorted under my breath. "At least he didn't get splinched," I pointed out.

That was a surefire way to fail the test. "Yes, well, he passed the second time," Mrs. Weasley snapped, marching back into the kitchen amid hearty sniggers from everyone.

"Percy only passed two weeks ago. He's been Apparating downstairs every morning since, just to prove he can," George said.

Naturally, he would do something like that. "Now that's annoying," I said honestly. Apparating was horribly loud; there was a crack each time someone did it. "Can't we Side-Apparate?"

"Too many kids with only two adults," Mr. Weasley explained.

That made sense. It would take forever to get everyone out to the World Cup. "That's alright. I guess Side-Apparating is kind of terrible anyway," I muttered, going back to my coffee.

"What's that?" Harry asked curiously.

"You hang onto someone's hand who can Apparate fully. They end up dragging you with them," I explained. Harry nodded thoughtfully. "I've done it before and it always makes you feel like you'll be sick. But it's faster."

Harry blanched slightly. "I'll take walking, thank you."

We both giggled softly as we went back to our breakfasts. I was about to continue eating some of my porridge when Fred reached over and stole it. I whacked him over the head in aggravation and moved to steal George's. He swiped it from me before I could and shifted down a few seats. I rolled my eyes and settled on just drinking my coffee. There were footsteps down the passageway and Hermione and Ginny came into the kitchen, both looking pale and drowsy. Perhaps Hermione was a little more tired than I had originally pegged her for.

"What took you two so long?" I asked them.

Hermione ignored me, walking into the kitchen to get her breakfast. Ginny looked like she hadn't even heard me. "Why do we have to be up so early?" Ginny asked, rubbing her eyes and sitting down at the table.

"We've got a bit of a walk," Mr. Weasley said.

My head shot up. "Walk? What, are we walking to the World Cup?" Harry asked.

There was no way that we were walking to the World Cup. "No, no, that's miles away. We only need to walk a short way," Mr. Weasley explained, smiling at our confusion. "It's just that it's very difficult for a large number of wizards to congregate without attracting Muggle attention. We have to be very careful about how we travel at the best of times, and on a huge occasion like the Quidditch World Cup -"

"George!" Mrs. Weasley snapped sharply, and we all jumped.

"What?" George asked, in an innocent tone that deceived nobody.

"What is that in your pocket?"

"Nothing!"

"Don't you lie to me!" Mrs. Weasley pointed her wand at George's pocket and said, "Accio!"

Several small, brightly colored objects zoomed out of George's pocket. I gasped softly as I stared at them. She hadn't managed to destroy all of the toffees. They had still been hiding some of them. If I knew them, those were the only ones that they had left. And I had to make sure that Mrs. Weasley didn't destroy all of their hard work over the past few months. George made a grab for the toffees but missed, and they sped right into Mrs. Weasley's outstretched hand. I turned toward Fred, who looked horrified.

"Give me one," I whispered to him.

"What?" Fred asked dumbly.

"Now!" I snapped.

"Here."

Unless they wanted each one of the toffees to get destroyed, they were going to have to trust me to hang on to at least one of them. Fred dug through his own pocket and pulled one out. I rolled my eyes, having known that he'd also have one. I grabbed the small piece of toffee and tucked it down into the pocket of my jeans. I knew that Mrs. Weasley was planning on destroying all of the ones that she would find on them. If I could save at least one of the toffees, I would be doing the twins a massive favor.

"We told you to destroy them!" Mrs. Weasley shouted furiously, holding up what were unmistakably more Ton-Tongue Toffees. "We told you to get rid of the lot! Empty your pockets, go on, both of you!"

It was an unpleasant scene all around. Mrs. Weasley looked furious, the twins looked like they were going to kill their mother, and Mr. Weasley looked like he was unsure of who to try and help. The kids seemed torn in between laughing and looking terrified. It was evident to everyone that the twins had been trying to smuggle as many toffees out of the house as possible, likely to give them too Lee Jordan, who would also be at the World Cup, and it was only by using her Summoning Charm that Mrs. Weasley managed to find them all.

"Accio! Accio! Accio!" she shouted, and toffees zoomed from all sorts of unlikely places, including the lining of George's jacket and the turn-ups of Fred's jeans.

Even I had to admit that their hiding spots were rather clever. "We spent six months developing those!" Fred shouted at his mother as she threw the toffees away.

"Oh, a fine way to spend six months! No wonder you didn't get more O.W.L.s!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

It looked like the twins were about to continue shouting at their mother, but I didn't want to make things even worse. I stomped on Fred and George's feet to keep them from yelling even more. They didn't look very happy with me but ultimately decided to let it go. Breakfast became a near silent affair after that. The twins sulked around angrily at the table as they continued their breakfast. Everyone else ate slowly and awkwardly. After a few minutes, I reached out and kicked George gently in the shin. He glanced up and I motioned under the table, showing him the toffee in my hand.

The twins both grinned as I mouthed, "Act upset."

They both nodded and went back their meals. I could tell that the sour looks they still had on their faces were real. They might have been happy that I had saved one toffee, but it would still take forever to remake everything that they'd originally had. I spent a long time sipping on my coffee when I finally heard a loud crack from the living room. I supposed that my parents had finally made their way to the Burrow. I glanced up and saw that I was right. Mom and Dad were standing in the middle of the living room.

"Good morning, everyone," Dad said happily, walking into the kitchen.

"Morning, Dad," I responded.

He walked up and pressed a kiss on the top of my head. I stomped on Fred's foot as he began making kissy noises at me. "Ready to head to the World Cup?" Dad asked, greeting Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Always," I said.

Mom walked over next. She gave me a quick hug. A moment later she pressed a kiss to Mr. Weasley's cheek and hugged Mrs. Weasley. "Good morning, Molly. Arthur," Mom greeted.

"Morning, Julia," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Good to see you, Jules," Mr. Weasley greeted.

"I'll be meeting you all at the World Cup a little later," Mom told me. I nodded at her. "For now, I'll be heading into Diagon Alley with Molly to help get everyone's school supplies. Need anything else?"

"Maybe a few new quills and some more black ink," I said.

"Okay."

Dad glanced around at our large group and smiled, taking a seat with Mom in between Mr. and Mrs. Weasley on the other end of the table. "This is about the quietest I've ever heard this bunch," Dad commented.

"Give them a few hours to wake up," Mr. Weasley chuckled.

He was right. We would all be back to our normal pain-in-the-ass selves once we were fully awake. "Ready to see the World Cup?" Dad asked.

"You know it," I chirped happily. "Does it start tonight?"

"Just after sundown," Dad explained.

"Cool." I sipped on a fresh coffee placed down by Mrs. Weasley for a while before something dawned on me. "Hey," I called over to Dad. He glanced up from his breakfast. "What's the big thing that the Ministry's got to have organized after the World Cup?"

"Heard about that, did you?" Dad asked curiously.

"Percy mentioned something about it. Apparently, he's been trying to get them to ask all summer what it is. I don't want to give him the satisfaction, so I asked you," I explained.

Considering that he had planned the Quidditch World Cup, I assumed that once this was done, he would move on to whatever the new thing was. "You'll see once you get to Hogwarts. You're not old enough to participate anyway. It'll just be something fun to watch," Dad said.

"Does it have to do with Quidditch?" I asked.

"No," Dad said.

"Then I don't care," I said.

If I couldn't participate in whatever the thing was and it had nothing to do with Quidditch, I really didn't care. It was probably some stupid thing that Percy was pretending was a big deal. Mom and Dad didn't look the slightest bit excited about it. Dad grinned over at me as I reached over and stole a piece of bacon off of Fred's plate. He scowled at me but let me have it. At the moment, I didn't have the energy to fight anyway. I just wanted to go back to sleep and Side-Apparate later. I was way too tired to be doing anything right now. Even eating.

We all sat together for about twenty minutes before it was finally time to leave. We packed up our things - enough to keep us for a few days - and moved to leave. All in all, the atmosphere was not very friendly as we all took our departure from the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley was still glowering as she kissed Mr. Weasley on the cheek, though not nearly as much as the twins, who had each hoisted their rucksacks onto their backs and walked out without a word to her. I rolled my eyes at them. They could at least try to be nice.

"Well, have a lovely time," Mrs. Weasley said.

I stopped for a moment to give her a quick hug. "See you in a few days," I said.

She smiled at me. "And behave yourselves," Mrs. Weasley called after the twins' retreating backs, but they did not look back or answer.

I dashed after the twins. "At least say goodbye," I snapped at them.

"No," they both said.

"Come on, I spared one of the toffees," I pointed out.

"And we appreciate that," Fred said.

"But we spent months making those. It cost a lot of money and took forever. You saved one but we've lost hundreds," George finished.

And I understood that. But they couldn't hate their mother forever. "I'll help make more of them," I offered, not wanting them to be too upset with her. "Don't worry, boys. She'll come around."

The twins gave me a sad smile before walking off. They were ahead of everyone else. I let out a soft breath as I watched them leave. They clearly weren't happy right now. I felt terribly for them. The thing that they loved the most was being taken away by one of the people that they loved most. It must have not been easy for them. I headed back to the doorway, deciding to just let the twins leave. I would figure out a way for them to get back in with their mother. In the meantime, I walked back to my own.

"Have fun," Mom said, grabbing me in a tight hug. "See you in a few hours."

"See you later," I said.

"I'll send Bill, Charlie, and Percy along around midday," Mrs. Weasley said to Mr. Weasley.

Just a moment later, he, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and I set off across the dark yard after Fred and George. It was chilly and the moon was still out. Only a dull, greenish tinge along the horizon to our right showed that daybreak was drawing closer. Normally I wouldn't have been awake for at least another three hours. I arched a brow as we walked. I was freezing and tired. Where the hell were we actually going? The World Cup in England wasn't like it was in the States. It didn't have an actual stadium that was built permanently.

How were we all going to find a place for thousands and thousands of wizards to go for a Quidditch World Cup in the middle of a Muggle community? "Where are we actually going?" Harry asked us.

"Don't know," Ron responded. "Hey, Dad! Where are we going?"

"Haven't the foggiest, keep up!" Mr. Weasley called back.

"Dad?" I asked.

"The Portkey. Shouldn't be too far from here. Just a few miles," he replied.

I'd taken a Portkey three times before and I'd hated them each time more than the last. "Portkey? Really?" I groaned.

"You love traveling by Portkey," Dad teased.

"I hate traveling by Portkey. I always fall," I growled.

"Right..." Dad hummed thoughtfully. "It's me that loves watching you travel by Portkey."

"Ah, funny," I snapped.

Harry sped up to walk next to Mr. Weasley. I followed him a moment later, also curious. "So how does everyone get there without all the Muggles noticing?" Harry asked Mr. Weasley.

"It's been a massive organizational problem. The trouble is, about a hundred thousand wizards turn up at the World Cup, and of course, we just haven't got a magical site big enough to accommodate them all. There are places Muggles can't penetrate, but imagine trying to pack a hundred thousand wizards into Diagon Alley or platform nine and three-quarters. So we had to find a nice deserted moor and set up as many anti-Muggle precautions as possible. The whole Ministry's been working on it for months. Tara's mother and father included.

"First, of course, we have to stagger the arrivals. People with cheaper tickets have to arrive two weeks beforehand. A limited number use Muggle transport, but we can't have too many clogging up their buses and trains - remember, wizards are coming from all over the world. Some Apparate, of course, but we have to set up safe points for them to appear, well away from Muggles. I believe there's a handy wood they're using as the Apparition point. For those who don't want to Apparate, or can't, we use Portkey's.

"They're objects that are used to transport wizards from one spot to another at a prearranged time. You can do large groups at a time if you need to. There have been two hundred Portkey's placed at strategic points around Britain, and the nearest one to us is up at the top of Stoatshead Hill, so that's where we're headed," Mr. Weasley explained.

Of all of the things that we were planning on using, I couldn't believe that we were going to travel there by Portkey. I had always hated using them. My balance was bad enough. I had a feeling that I was still going to fall, even if I had gained some balance in the past few years since I'd used one. Mr. Weasley pointed ahead of us, where a large black mass rose beyond the village of Ottery St. Catchpole. I assumed that it was the hill that we were heading to, likely where the Ministry had placed the Portkey that we would be using.

"What sort of objects are Portkey's?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, they can be anything. Unobtrusive things, obviously, so Muggles don't go picking them up and playing with them... stuff they'll just think is litter..." Mr. Weasley explained.

Together our large party trudged down the dark, dank lane toward the village, the silence was broken only by our footsteps. Not only was I unhappy about all of the walking that we were doing, but I was also pissed at how cold it was. It was the summer and felt like a winter back in Florida. The sky lightened very slowly as we made our way through the village, its inky blackness diluting to deepest blue. We had to have been walking for at least an hour. It felt like it, at least. My hands and feet were freezing. Mr. Weasley kept checking his watch.

It was likely going to be sunrise by the time we made it to the Portkey. I planted myself in between Harry and Ron eventually, throwing my arms over their shoulders. Partially to keep myself upright - since I was exhausted - and partially because the two of them provided a little bit of body warmth. I knew that the two of them - just like I was - were very tired. Everyone was. Both from the long walk to the Portkey and from having to wake up this early. It was all made even worse by the abnormally bitter morning air.

No one had any breath to spare for talking as we began to climb Stoatshead Hill. We were exhausted and grumpy anyway. No one really wanted to talk or had anything to say. As I walked along, I found myself stumbling occasionally in hidden rabbit holes or slipping on thick black tufts of grass. In all honesty, I was surprised that I hadn't twisted my ankles from how many times I had slipped. Each breath I took was sharp in my chest and my legs were starting to seize up when, at last, my feet found level ground. Oliver Wood's workouts were nothing compared to this.

"Please tell me we're nearly there," I gasped.

"Whew," Mr. Weasley panted, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his sweater. "Well, we've made good time - we've got ten minutes..."

This was definitely the worst time that I'd ever had on the way to something I'd been so excited for. Now I really wished that we could have just Side-Apparated to the Quidditch World Cup. That would have been much easier. I would have taken vomiting once over having to deal with our walk this early in the morning. Hermione came over the crest of the hill last, clutching a stitch in her side. She instantly came to my side, throwing an arm over my shoulder. I almost collapsed with her added weight.

"And you thought laps with Oliver Wood were bad," Harry wheezed to me.

"At least those were on level ground," I sighed back.

"Now we just need the Portkey," Mr. Weasley said, replacing his glasses and squinting around at the ground. "It won't be big... Come on..."

We really had to do something else after we had already walked what felt like thirty miles? We were likely only about two or three miles from the Burrow, but I was sure that everyone else was as exhausted as I was. Our large group spread out, searching for the Portkey. Of course, it would have helped if we'd known what the Portkey was. I saw a lot of grass and dirt, but nothing that stuck out to me. We had only been at it for a couple of minutes, thankfully, when a shout rent the still air.

"Over here, Arthur! Over here, son, we've got it! It's about time."

One tall figure was silhouetted against the starry sky on the other side of the hilltop. I glanced up curiously. I couldn't quite pick out who it was. They looked to be the slightest bit heavy-set and on the older side. From the voice, I assumed that it was a man. Otherwise, I couldn't tell. I could see Dad stiffen slightly. I arched a brow. What was the problem now? He seemed to have finally relaxed since everything had gone down with Cedric. What could possibly have gotten him all tensed up again?

"Amos!" Mr. Weasley called back amicably, smiling as he strode over to the man who had shouted.

My entire body stiffened as my eyes widened to the size of small saucers. Harry and Ron started laughing. The twins turned to me curiously. I could see Hermione and Ginny exchange a panicked look. Everyone looked much more awake now than they had been ten minutes ago. I couldn't believe that, of anyone we could have had to take the Portkey with, it was Cedric's father. And he had to be around here somewhere. He said that he was going to be at the World Cup. Dad looked about ready to break in half. Everyone followed, myself trailing in the back.

"Did you know that they would be here?" Dad hissed at Mr. Weasley.

The last thing that I needed was him getting anyone else involved in this. Mr. Weasley turned to Dad curiously. "What are you talking about?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Dad, leave it alone. Please," I whined. He was making things worse. "You're going to make a scene. Let's just have a good time."

"Sorry, Amos. Some of us had a bit of a sleepy start," Mr. Weasley called to Mr. Diggory.

As we walked up to him, Dad and Mr. Diggory exchanged a look. "Good to see you, Amos," Dad said tersely.

Did Mr. Diggory know what had happened? I assumed that Cedric must have told his father. "You too, Marcus. Hello again, Tara," Mr. Diggory said.

"Hi, Mr. Diggory," I replied.

It was the first time I had seen him in weeks. Mr. Diggory didn't like me over at his house with no one else around, so we weren't able to go to his house too often. Dad and Mr. Diggory exchanged a very quick handshake. What the hell was their problem now? Mr. Weasley then moved forward and shook hands with Mr. Diggory. I liked Cedric's father, but he was always a little too... I wasn't sure. There was just something odd about him. He was a ruddy-faced wizard with a scrubby brown beard, who was currently holding a moldy-looking old boot in his other hand.

I'd always assumed that Cedric had gotten his looks from his mother. "This is Amos Diggory, everyone. He works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Mr. Weasley told most of the kids.

For a while, I glanced back and forth to see if I could find wherever Cedric was. The sooner that I could find him, the sooner that I could try and make a game plan. Or maybe Cedric wasn't actually coming to the World Cup this way. That would probably be for the best. At least Dad wouldn't have to see him this way and make things even worse. But he couldn't have Apparated. He wasn't old enough. Cedric managed to surprise everyone - myself included - when he dropped out of a tree mere inches from where I was standing. I jumped in surprise.

Mr. Weasley grinned at the newest addition. "And this strapping young lad must be Cedric, am I right?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Cedric replied.

It was the first time I had seen him in person since our awkward run-in with my parents in Diagon Alley. I was glad to see that he was smiling again and looked perfectly normal. Cedric moved forward to shake Mr. Weasley's hand. I turned back to see Ginny and Hermione give each other a little look before smiling at me. I blushed slightly. Clearly, they both agreed that he was attractive. I didn't blame them in the slightest. Cedric gave Dad a brief smile and nod as he walked over to me. I tensed slightly. What was about to happen?

"Good to see you again," Cedric greeted me.

He looked like he wanted to hug or kiss me, but he managed to refrain from doing either one of those things. "Part monkey now, are you?" I asked teasingly.

"Just couldn't resist startling you," Cedric said.

I huffed. "You did not -"

"Tara," Dad interrupted.

"What?" I asked.

"Come here."

Was he kidding? He had to be kidding. He wasn't going to start doing this to me at the World Cup with a ton of my friends around. "Are you joking?" I asked dully.

"No. Come here," Dad ordered.

Now I was going to be the biggest loser in the world. Fifteen years old and I couldn't even have a conversation with my boyfriend. We weren't even doing anything that time! I wasn't going to kiss him or even hug him. I had just settled for speaking to him. And I couldn't even have that. Cedric tried to smile at my father, but Dad didn't even crack a somewhat peaceful look back. I rolled my eyes at his pettiness and walked back over to my father, pissed beyond belief, and turned back to give Cedric a guilty look. He gave me an awkward smile back.

Everyone else looked the slightest bit uncomfortable, which I was sure they were. I scoffed at Dad, pulling away from him trying to throw an arm over my shoulder protectively. "And I think you know his son, Cedric?" Mr. Weasley continued.

Normally I would have laughed. But then I realized that Mr. Weasley likely didn't know that I was dating Cedric. I didn't think anyone had ever bothered telling him. That must have been why he still looked content with what was happening. Harry and Ron were scowling at him. Cedric Diggory just so happened to be an extremely handsome boy of seventeen. He was Captain and Seeker of the Hufflepuff House Quidditch team at Hogwarts. He had also been my boyfriend since early last year and both Ron and Harry hated him for it.

"Tara knows him very well," George teased.

The others started laughing. Dad stiffened. I whipped around to George. "I should kill you," I hissed.

"Hi," Cedric said, looking around at us all.

He gave me a quick wink. I blushed and looked away, trying to pull even further out of my father's grasp. I didn't want to be anywhere near him right now. Everybody said hello back except Fred and George, who merely nodded. They had never quite forgiven Cedric for beating our team, Gryffindor, in the first Quidditch match of the previous year. Despite the fact that Cedric had tried to surrender the win, they were just bitter that we had lost either way. I knew that they also, like Ron and Harry, didn't like Cedric because we were dating.

"Long walk, Arthur?" Mr. Diggory asked.

"Not too bad. We live just on the other side of the village there. You?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Had to get up at two, didn't we, Ced?" Mr. Diggory asked his son. Cedric nodded. "I tell you, I'll be glad when he's got his Apparition test. Still... not complaining... Quidditch World Cup, wouldn't miss it for a sackful of Galleons - and the tickets cost about that. Mind you, looks like I got off easy..."

Amos Diggory peered good-naturedly around at the three Weasley boys, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny. His eyes passed over me. He had known me long enough to know that Mr. Weasley was just my friends' father. He also knew that my father only had me. I stared at Mr. Diggory awkwardly, feeling Dad's arms wrap a little tighter around me. Cedric gave me a quick glance before glancing away again almost immediately. I rolled my eyes again and stepped a few paces away from Dad. I wanted nothing to do with him right now.

"All these yours, Arthur? Except for Tara," Mr. Diggory said.

"Oh no, only the redheads," Mr. Weasley said, pointing out his children. "This is Hermione, a friend of Ron's - and Harry, another friend -"

"Merlin's beard," Mr. Diggory said, his eyes widening. "Harry? Harry Potter?"

"Er - yeah," Harry muttered.

That was when I realized that Mr. Diggory had never met Harry before. Every time that he'd seen me with Cedric, I had been alone with him. I looked over at Harry curiously to see how he was taking it. Harry was used to people looking curiously at him when they met him, used to the way their eyes moved at once to the lightning scar on his forehead, but I knew that it always made him feel uncomfortable. Mr. Diggory didn't seem to notice how tense the air had gotten.

"Ced's talked about you, of course. Told us all about playing against you last year... I said to him, I said - Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will... You beat Harry Potter!" Mr. Diggory said amicably.

The air was definitely awkward now. I wished that I could walk over to Cedric and grab his hand. He looked like he was going to step in and tell his father to stop, but it was hard to stop Amos Diggory once he got started. I knew that well enough. I glanced over at Harry, who also looked like he wished that he could be anywhere else. It was easy to see that Harry couldn't think of any reply Mr. Diggory's statement, so he remained silent. Fred and George were both scowling again. Cedric looked slightly embarrassed.

"Harry fell off his broom, Dad. I told you... it was an accident..." Cedric muttered.

"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you?" Mr. Diggory roared genially, slapping his son on his back. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman... but the best man won, I'm sure Harry would say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!"

"Dementors flew into the match. I ended up almost killing Tara because I ran into her. It wasn't exactly the way that I wanted to win the match," Cedric mumbled.

"We'll get that fair rematch this year," I teased, winking at him. Cedric grinned. Dad scowled.

"Must be nearly time," Mr. Weasley said quickly, pulling out his watch again. He must have sensed the awkward air. "Do you know whether we're waiting for any more, Amos?"

"No, the Lovegood's have been there for a week already and the Fawcett's couldn't get tickets. There aren't any more of us in this area, are there?" Mr. Diggory asked.

"Not that I know of," Mr. Weasley said. "Yes, it's a minute off... We'd better get ready..."

Holding onto a stupid muddy boot only to end up falling on my face in front of my boyfriend. Not to mention that my father was now treating me like I was three years old and wouldn't even let me have a conversation with Cedric. Yes, this day was getting better and better for me. I stayed back from the Portkey slightly. I wasn't touching that until it was time to leave. Harry and Hermione looked extremely confused. I prodded Mr. Weasley and motioned at them. Mr. Weasley looked around at Harry and Hermione.

"You just need to touch the Portkey, that's all, a finger will do."

As Harry and Hermione asked what was happening with the Portkey, I stepped back and fell in line with Cedric, who had been trailing behind us. I placed a hand on his arm. "You can tell he's really proud," I told him.

"He gets a bit much," Cedric sighed.

"He just embarrassed Harry. Looks like he embarrassed you, too," I said teasingly, noticing that his face was turning slightly red. "Don't worry about it. We all know that you're humble. It's a nice trait."

Cedric nodded thoughtfully, glancing back at my father. "I see your father's decided that he still doesn't like me," Cedric chuckled.

"Unfortunately not. But two more weeks and I won't have to see him for months," I groaned.

"He cares about you," Cedric pointed out.

Perhaps a little bit too much... "Look at you, being reasonable," I teased.

"One of us has to be," Cedric shot back. I giggled, watching the others head over to the Portkey. "We should go."

"Right," I said.

We both headed over towards the Portkey when Cedric put a hand out in front of me. "Hang on. While he's not paying attention," Cedric said, motioning to where my father was chatting amicably with Hermione. "Will you meet me before the match?"

"I thought you didn't want to meet until midnight? After the match?" I asked.

"Well, I can vanish until midnight if you want that," Cedric teased.

Any chance for me to sneak out and meet my boyfriend sounded like a good plan to me. "No. I'll find a way out," I said. Cedric smiled at me as we walked over to the others. "You know, you're getting more and more like me. Risking getting in trouble to sneak out for a little midnight rendezvous."

Cedric laughed. "You're rubbing off on me. By the way, are you rooting for Ireland?"

"Duh," I said, nudging him. Bulgaria wasn't that fascinating. Without Krum, they wouldn't have even made it to the World Cup finals. "Krum might be good and he's definitely got some flair, but he's got nothing on the entire Irish team. and, if they don't win, you will spend much of the night listening to me complain since I bet Ron that Ireland would win."

"Glad you're rooting for Ireland. Wouldn't be able to talk to you if you weren't," Cedric teased.

"And that would break my heart," I shot back.

My day wasn't complete until I made a little blow at Cedric's pride. He could afford it, considering that everyone loved him. He laughed and threw a small rock at me, deliberately missing. I chuckled softly, picking up a tuft of grass and throwing it back at him. I made sure to actually hit him. He grunted as it whacked into the side of his face. We were both madly laughing as Cedric darted over to me and wrapped an arm around my waist, tossing me over his shoulder and throwing me. I landed roughly and had just regained my footing when he caught me again.

He was about to throw me over his shoulder again when there was a call. "Tara. Enough," Dad snapped. We both glanced up, Cedric's hand hesitating on my waist. Dad's eyes locked onto it. Cedric instantly removed his hand. "Over here."

I was about to argue with him when Cedric disentangled the two of us. "Go on. I'll see you later," he said.

Muttering curses under my breath, I walked back over to my father and scowled at him. "I wish you weren't here," I snapped.

"That's a good way to earn back trust," Dad said.

"Should be. I'm being honest," I pointed out.

"Tara. Enough. I'll gladly send you back home," Dad said.

The moment I opened my mouth to make another nasty retort, Fred called, "Tara!"

I glanced up curiously. Fred was motioning me over to him. "Go ahead," Dad said.

I walked over to Fred with an arched brow. "What?" I asked.

"Oh, I didn't actually need anything, but things looked like they were getting a little heated. Couldn't have you getting sent home," Fred pointed out. I smiled at him, actually quite grateful that he'd stopped me from making things any worse. "Who else would I mess with?"

We both laughed. "Thanks, Freddie," I said, wrapping my arm around his waist.

"My pleasure."

Every now and again, Fred could actually be quite useful. Although I was sure he would prove me wrong soon enough. He would probably put worms in my pillow or glue in my pants. Something that would embarrass me for the next few weeks. Fred pushed me towards everyone else and I glanced up to see Cedric watching us. I smiled at him but distracted myself long enough to look away when Fred shoved me toward the Portkey. I laughed and turned around to shove Fred back.

Mostly everyone had already found their place around the Portkey. It didn't look easy. The boot was only so big and there were eleven of us. There wasn't much more room for me and Fred to take our own spots. It definitely wasn't going to be an easy prospect. This was always the worst part of taking a Portkey. There was never enough room. With great difficulty, owing to our bulky backpacks, the eleven of us crowded around the old boot held out by Mr. Diggory. Each one of us barely had a finger on it.

Like always, taking a Portkey was rather awkward. Standing far closer than I would have liked, in between Fred and Harry, we all stood there, in a tight circle, as a chilly breeze swept over the hilltop. Nobody spoke. It grew more awkward by the second. I just wanted to get my upcoming collapse over with. It suddenly occurred to me how odd this would look if a Muggle were to walk up here now... eleven people, three of them grown men, clutching this manky old boot in the semidarkness, waiting...

"Three..." Mr. Weasley muttered, one eye still on his watch, "two..."

That was when I realized that Harry didn't have his finger on the boot. "Harry!" I snapped.

His hand instantly shot to the boot. "One..."

It was just in time. The Portkey worked immediately: I felt as though a hook just behind my navel had been suddenly jerked irresistibly forward. It was very much like Apparating. My feet left the ground; I could feel Harry and Fred on either side of me, their shoulders banging into mine. Everyone began screaming. We were all speeding forward in a howl of wind and swirling color. It was a good thing that my forefinger was stuck to the boot as though it was pulling me magnetically onward because I was sure that my grip wasn't that strong.

The world was spinning all around me. I closed my eyes for a moment, sure that I was going to be sick. Portkey's would always be my absolute least favorite method of travel. There was a brilliant white flash all around me as the clouds began to form in my vision. We had to be getting close to wherever the World Cup was located. My feet whacked into Fred's as the Portkey started to make its descent. I groaned as everyone else began either screaming or cheering. I couldn't quite tell the difference right now.

"Let go kids!" Mr. Weasley called.

Were we really there already? "What?" Hermione gasped.

"Let! Go!" Mr. Weasley shouted.

Damn it... I could have used spinning for a few more seconds. I waited for Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory, and Dad to release themselves from the Portkey. Cedric, Ginny, Fred, and George released next. Cedric gave me a little wink from across the Portkey as he did. If he could do it, be damned, I would do it too. Nodding for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to follow my lead, I released my grip on the Portkey, hoping that I might get a little lucky this time. Almost immediately I felt my feet slam against the ground; Harry staggered into me and he fell over. Ron followed a moment later.

The Portkey hit the ground near my head with a heavy thud. I stumbled away from where everyone had landed in a somewhat impressive spin. For a moment I thought that I might actually make it. But then I managed to trip over Ginny. My entire balance was thrown off as I practically collapsed against the ground. I was halfway to the ground when an arm wrapped around me and steadied me. I was about to thank my father - who I had assumed had caught me - when I realized that I was standing up against Cedric. We were both breathing heavily and panting from the trip.

My hands were tight on his arm, trying to keep myself from actually falling. I was still the slightest bit weak from my trip. My legs were threatening to cave in from underneath me. Cedric's hands were on my waist, keeping me from tripping back over Hermione. I looked off to the side for a brief moment to see what else had happened. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory, Dad, Cedric and myself were still standing, though each of us looked very windswept; everybody else was on the ground.

"Makes up for last time, eh?" Cedric teased, referencing my Dementor collapse.

"Halfway," I responded.

There was a slight grin on my face. Neither one of us needed to say what we both wanted. I glanced up again to see what was happening. We were fine for right now. Cedric grinned, knowing that I wanted him to kiss me. We could manage it for right now. We only had a moment. Dad was currently in the process of helping Ginny back to her feet. One chance to do it. I smiled and leaned up, pressing a tiny kiss against Cedric's mouth. My stomach warmed slightly as I pulled back. I was about to kiss him again when something distracted me.

"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill," a voice called.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _Upon arrival at the Quidditch World Cup, excitement begins to build over the impending match and Tara attempts a sneaky conversation with Cedric._ Another shorter chapter, but I am anticipating the next one to be longer - the normal length. Thanks for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **GreySkys:** **I'm sorry to hear that life hasn't been the best! I understand when life seems to take a downturn. Here's hoping that things look up for you soon! I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter. Tara was definitely hoping for her father to be over it, but as you see, he isn't budging. Not to fear, Tara won't be losing feelings for Cedric. She couldn't ever hurt him. I feel like a better way to put it is that she's gaining feelings for Fred, if that makes sense. Well I'm glad to be the one to get you to finally ship someone! Umbridge and Tara (I can promise you now) will absolutely despise each other. I'm so excited for it! Tara probably won't be able to keep her hatred for Umbridge a secret. she's not that discreet lol. Oh, that's cool! I'm glad that you found me on Quotev too. I prefer to let people picture my OC's in their own head, since my picture of her might not match yours. Whatever you like to think she looks like, go for it! My description of her is more of a guideline for how I picture her. Hope you liked this one!**

 **crazy lil weirdo:** **That's crazy! But I love that you read the story so much. Because I definitely have a lot of fun writing it. I'm so excited to write the actual World Cup. Cedric and Fred will definitely start butting heads in the coming chapters. I love Fred but I also love Cedric. It's definitely not easy to pick which one you like more. You will find out who's sending the letters soon! It's still a little ways away, but it's coming up. You could try and wait it out, but I warn you that it'll be a long wait. Glad you liked the last chapter and I hope that you like this one too!**

 **sjlovesstories: Thank you so much! I hope you liked this one!**

 **pottersimpala67: Wasn't the memory so cute? I loved putting that one in there. Thank you! I'm so glad that you love the story so much. And I hope that you liked this chapter too!**

 **Vincent FGS91: So I see who you're rooting for lol. There is definitely a touch of a triangle forming. There is much more eventfulness to come! I haven't actually seen the Crimes of Grindelwald yet! I really want to and I'm hoping to see it next weekend. Hope you liked this one!**

 **Ghostie1701: Handling Cedric's death (if I choose to kill him) definitely won't be easy for anyone. I'm so glad that you like him so much! I love writing him. Can't promise if I'll put him with Fred or Draco, or anyone else for that matter, but she'll get a lot of time with him in the coming chapters. And that tension won't fade anytime soon lol. We shall see what happens. Hope you liked this one!**


	7. Bagman and Crouch

"I bet that cleared your sinuses eh?" Mr. Weasley teased.

The trip through the Portkey had cleared just about everything. My head was still spinning. Although that might have been from the kiss. Cedric dropped his hand from around my waist as I pulled away from him. We would have more of a chance to talk later. With Dad already done helping Ginny back to her feet, I couldn't risk him seeing the two of us together. I turned to help Hermione back to her feet. She looked a little more winded than anyone else. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Cedric helping Harry back to his feet. I smiled. Maybe they would learn to get along for my sake.

"Thanks," Harry told Cedric.

As I prepared to walk over to them, Dad's voice cut through the air. "Tara. Come here, please."

Harry and Cedric stared at me awkwardly as I whipped back around to my father, who looked completely serious. I placed my hands on my hips. "Are you joking?" I snapped. He merely stared at me. "Relax, Dad."

"We've discussed this. You have to work to earn our trust back," Dad said.

"I've already earned Mom's back," I muttered.

The others began walking away. "Come on, Tara. We're here at the Quidditch World Cup. We've wanted to be here for years! Let's try and have a good time together, alright?" Dad cried hopefully.

"Yeah," I said.

It would have been a lot more fun if I was allowed to interact with my boyfriend and friends freely. It took everyone a little while to disentangle themselves from the others and get to their feet. Once I was sure that everyone was okay, I looked around. We had arrived on what appeared to be a deserted stretch of misty moor. It was strange. The States had an actual place for the Quidditch World Cup, whenever we held it. In England, they had to place it in the middle of Muggle land. Hence why it so rarely took place in England. It took too much effort and planning.

In front of us were a pair of tired and grumpy looking wizards, one of whom was holding a large gold watch, the other a thick roll of parchment and a quill. Both were dressed as Muggles, though very inexpertly: The man with the watch wore a tweed suit with thigh-length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho. It took everything in me to keep from laughing. Harry and Hermione looked like they were also having problems keeping a straight face. I recognized the kilted wizard - I had seen him speaking to my parents before - but I wasn't sure who he was.

"Morning, Basil," Mr. Weasley said.

Yes, I'd definitely heard his name. I noticed that Dad was glaring at the older wizard. I could only assume that the two of them didn't get along very well. Mr. Weasley picked up the boot and handed it to the kilted wizard, Basil, who threw it into a large box of used Portkey's beside him. I arched a brow. I had never realized that so many witches and wizards really hated Apparating. Not that I blamed them. It was rather terrible. I looked into the box and grinned. I could see an old newspaper, an empty drink can and a punctured football.

"Hello there, Arthur," Basil greeted wearily. "Marcus."

"Basil," Dad said shortly.

"Not on duty, eh?" Basil asked Mr. Weasley, who shook his head. "It's all right for some… We've been here all night… You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite… Weasley… Weasley…" He consulted his parchment list. "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr. Roberts. Diggory… second field… ask for Mr. Payne."

Damn it... That meant a long walk to meet up with Cedric. "Good," Dad chirped happily.

"Really?" I hissed, whipping around to him. He might have had the right idea, but I was never going to admit that to him. "You seriously have that little trust in me?"

"Enough," he snapped back.

"Thanks, Basil," Mr. Weasley said.

He beckoned everyone to follow him. Without giving him a moment to say otherwise, I pushed past my father and headed up to the front of the line. I would have stopped near Cedric, but I knew that it would make things worse. He merely gave me a concerned look as I strode over to where Hermione and Ginny were. They both gave me strained smiles. I felt bad for making things so awkward, but I wasn't willing to roll over on this. Mom got over our relationship. Why couldn't Dad?

Hermione grabbed my arm and pulled me over to her. "You do realize that he's your father, right?" she hissed. I grunted in response. "He knows you better than anyone else here. He knows exactly what you were planning to do."

"What I'm still planning to do, Hermione," I corrected her. "And shut up!"

It was obvious that she was still trying to speak to me, but I was ignoring her. We set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist. After about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. By the time that we saw it, everyone was panting. Beyond the cottage, I could just make out the ghostly shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents, rising up the gentle slope of a large field toward a dark wood on the horizon. We turned to say goodbye to the Diggory's.

"Parting of the waves, I think, old chap. See you at the match," Mr. Diggory said amicably to Mr. Weasley and my father.

"See you later, Cedric!" everyone else called.

As Dad and Mr. Weasley stopped for a quick word with Mr. Diggory, I fell back into step with Cedric, who grinned at me. "Sneak out after you get set up, alright?" I whispered.

"Alright, Trouble," Cedric teased.

He was right about one thing - I was definitely trouble. I had been since the day I was born. I grinned up at him as he flicked me in the nose. We both laughed as I walloped him over the head. We were both still chuckling under our breath as I walked off with the others - before Dad could realize that I'd just made plans to sneak off with him later. We approached the cottage door and I turned back, winking in Cedric's direction. He smiled back. We would definitely manage some time together later.

Once Cedric and his father had walked off, I turned back to see what was happening. A man was standing in the doorway, looking out at the tents. My eyebrow quirked curiously. I knew at a single glance that this was the only real Muggle for several acres. He looked completely normal. Normal clothes and a normal attitude. They really put the Quidditch World Cup in the middle of a Muggle campsite? What moron thought of that? I turned to Dad with a slight glare. He ignored me. When the Muggle heard our footsteps, he turned his head to look at us.

"Morning!" Mr. Weasley called brightly.

"Morning," the Muggle responded.

"Would you be Mr. Roberts?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Aye, I would. And who're you?" Mr. Roberts asked.

"Weasley - one tent, booked a couple of days ago?" Mr. Weasley said.

"And you?" Mr. Roberts asked Dad.

"Nox - one tent, booked a while back," Dad responded.

"Aye," Mr. Roberts said, consulting a list tacked to the door. "You two have two next-door spaces up by the wood there. Just the one night?"

"That's it," Mr. Weasley said.

"You'll be paying now, then?" Mr. Roberts asked.

"Prepaid," Dad said proudly.

Mr. Roberts nodded thoughtfully. Mom and Dad were some of the only magical people I knew who also owned a Muggle credit card. "Ah - right certainly -" Mr. Weasley stuttered awkwardly.

Honestly, I hadn't even realized that payment would be an issue. Most campsites I had been to back in the States were free. As Dad went to moving everyone's luggage around - clearly trying to hide some of our stranger items from Mr. Roberts - I turned to Mr. Roberts. He seemed very curious about our large group. Mr. Weasley retreated a short distance from the cottage nervously and beckoned Harry and me toward him. I stared at Harry. I wasn't sure what Mr. Weasley needed up for right now.

"Help me, Harry, Tara," Mr. Weasley muttered, pulling a roll of Muggle money from his pocket and starting to peel the notes apart.

I backed away regretfully. "Oh, sorry about that. I grew up in the United States. I know how to use American money, not English," I said honestly.

Having never had to purchase anything on my own in the Muggle world, I'd never bothered to learn the English currency system. That was why my parents had the credit card - so no one had to learn. "This one's a - a - a ten?" Mr. Weasley asked Harry nervously. "Ah yes, I see the little number on it now… So, this is a five?"

"A twenty," Harry corrected him in an undertone, as we were all uncomfortably aware of Mr. Roberts trying to catch every word. Harry then turned to me with an annoyed look. "Really? You've lived here for six years and you still don't know how to use Muggle money?"

"I'm a witch!" I hissed lowly. "Of course, I don't know how to use their money."

"Useless," Harry huffed.

I scowled at him. "Ah yes, so it is... I don't know, these little bits of paper…" Mr. Weasley continued to mutter.

"You foreign?" Mr. Roberts asked when Mr. Weasley returned with the correct notes.

"Foreign?" Mr. Weasley repeated, puzzled.

"You're not the first one who's had trouble with money," Mr. Roberts explained, scrutinizing Mr. Weasley closely. "I had two try and pay me with great gold coins the size of hubcaps ten minutes ago."

Someone had really tried to pay with Galleons? I wondered who had done it and how they'd fixed it. Obliviate, more than likely. "Did you really?" Mr. Weasley asked nervously.

This really was so much easier the way we did it in the States. Now I understood why no one ever wanted to have the Quidditch World Cup in England. It was far too much effort. Mr. Roberts rummaged around in a tin for some change. I nervously moved forward. With my father preoccupied with the luggage situation, I knew that someone would have to do something. And I had just the plan. I stepped forward and cleared my throat, trying to accentuate the little bit of an American accent I still had left.

"Yes, we are foreigners, actually. This is my uncle and those are my cousins," I said, pointing around to the others. Mr. Roberts stared at me curiously. "We're from the United States." He nodded in understanding. "We're used to dollars. Sorry about that."

"Yeah, you sound it," Mr. Roberts said, in reference to my comment that we were from the United States. "What drew you out here?"

"Uh... I was born here. Moved to the States when I was young," I said awkwardly.

"Welcome back, then." I smiled at Mr. Roberts. "Never been this crowded," he said suddenly, looking out over the misty field again. "Hundreds of pre-bookings. People usually just turn up…"

"Is that right?" Mr. Weasley asked, his hand held out for his change, but Mr. Roberts didn't give it to him.

He must have been remembering something that had already been Obliviated from his memory. "Aye. People from all over. Loads of foreigners. Some even from the States, just like you," Mr. Roberts said thoughtfully. For a moment I wondered if I might have known any of them. "And not just foreigners. Weirdos, you know? There's a bloke walking 'round in a kilt and a poncho."

"Shouldn't he?" Mr. Weasley asked anxiously.

"It's like some sort of… I don't know… like some sort of rally. They all seem to know each other. Like a big party," Mr. Roberts continued.

It was obvious to see the little beads of sweat on Mr. Weasley's forehead. Even I was getting a little nervous. Mr. Roberts must have been quite adept at beating the Memory Charm. Clearly, he was remembering a lot from what I could assume were previous Memory Charms. Mr. Weasley was motioning my dad over, who looked quite confused at what had happened in just a few minutes that he had left us alone. At that moment, a wizard in plus-fours appeared out of thin air next to Mr. Roberts's front door.

"Obliviate!" he said sharply, pointing his wand at Mr. Roberts.

Instantly, Mr. Roberts's eyes slid out of focus, his brows un-knitted, and a look of dreamy unconcern fell over his face. I felt terrible for him. That had to have happened a number of times to him already. I had only tried the charm once on Neville during our First Year - which had resulted in him falling straight to the ground and only forgetting a few minutes of his life. But the same thing had happened. I recognized the symptoms of one who had just had his memory modified.

"Oh, poor man. That'll suck," I muttered.

"A map of the campsite for you," Mr. Roberts said placidly to Mr. Weasley. "And your change."

"Thanks very much," Mr. Weasley said.

If only I could do a Memory Charm like that... It was one of the few lessons that I couldn't wait for. But I was reasonably confident that we wouldn't do that one until Seventh Year. For good reason, too. The wizard in plus fours accompanied us toward the gate to the campsite. He looked exhausted: His chin was blue with stubble and there were deep purple shadows under his eyes. Once out of earshot of Mr. Roberts, he leaned over and muttered to Mr. Weasley and Dad.

"Been having a lot of trouble with him. Needs a Memory Charm ten times a day to keep him happy," the wizard told them. Hmm... maybe he had some wizarding blood in him. "And Ludo Bagman's not helping. Trotting around talking about Bludgers and Quaffles at the top of his voice, not a worry about anti-Muggle security. Blimey, I'll be glad when this is over. See you later, Arthur, Marcus."

The wizard Disapparated without another word. We all stopped and stared at each other. "I should probably take off and help with security. Almost everyone is showing up today," Dad said regretfully, looking off into the distance.

"I'll take care of the kids," Mr. Weasley promised.

"Thanks, Arthur," Dad said, shaking Mr. Weasley's hand. "Please keep an eye on Tara -"

"Stop!" I hissed.

It was bad enough that everyone had already heard how paranoid Dad was earlier. I didn't need him to keep it up. "I'll keep an eye out for Tara. Not to worry, Marcus," Mr. Weasley said, sensing the tense air.

"See you later, kid," Dad said.

"Bye," I said tonelessly.

There was no way that he was getting a nice goodbye after he had managed to embarrass me at least five times this morning. I crossed my arms over my chest as everyone else shifted around awkwardly. With Dad around, things were strange with me for everyone. They all knew how tense things still were with my father. Fred grabbed me around the waist and pulled me away from my father, into himself. Dad gave me a quick nod (a warning to behave) before Disapparating.

"Thank Merlin he's gone," I huffed.

"Tara," Fred called.

"What?" I asked.

"You really want to make things worse?" Fred asked.

Was he really not on my side? "He's being unreasonable!" I hissed.

If Mom had managed to get over it, Dad could too. "Yes, he is," Fred agreed. I smiled brightly. I knew that he would agree with me. He never agreed with parents. "And right now the best thing to do is to play nice with him. Let him think that you're okay with everything. The sooner you act like things are okay, the sooner he'll loosen the reigns."

For a moment, I merely stared at him. Then I said, "When did you get smart?"

Instead of looking offended, Fred merely laughed. "Always have been, love," he said, throwing his arm over my shoulders.

"I thought Mr. Bagman was Head of Magical Games and Sports. He should know better than to talk about Bludgers near Muggles, shouldn't he?" Ginny asked, looking surprised.

"He should, but Ludo's always been a bit… well…lax about security," Mr. Weasley said slowly, smiling, and leading us through the gates into the campsite. "You couldn't wish for a more enthusiastic head of the sports department though. He played Quidditch for England himself, you know. And he was the best Beater the Wimbourne Wasps ever had."

"Which isn't really saying much," I mumbled under my breath.

That was enough to make everyone laugh. I didn't really mean to be rude, but I had never been much of a fan of the Wimbourne Wasps. Although they had won the League Cup at least eighteen times. Not that it was saying much. They had only been in the European Cup twice and had never advanced into the Quidditch World Cup. Not like the Stars had managed to do numerous times. Alright... maybe I was still a little biased. Fred and George threw their arms over my shoulders as we walked up towards the campsite.

We had only been walking for a few minutes when Mr. Weasley turned back to us. "Well kids, welcome to the Quidditch World Cup!" he cried happily.

While still fun, it definitely wasn't as spectacular as the World Cups that were held in the States. Together we trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Muggle-like as possible but had slipped up by adding chimneys, or bell pulls, or weather vanes. I snorted in amusement. At least they were trying. And I supposed that most of them could have just said that they had more money than sense.

However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that I could hardly be surprised that Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious. Honestly, guys. This is why I call wizards morons... Halfway up the field stood an extravagant confection of striped silk like a miniature palace, with several live peacocks tethered at the entrance. A little farther on we passed a tent that had three floors and several turrets; and a short way beyond that was a tent that had a front garden attached, complete with a birdbath, sundial, and a fountain.

"Always the same. We can't resist showing off when we get together," Mr. Weasley said, smiling. The rest of us all exchanged dumbfounded looks. "Ah, here we are, look, this is us."

The further that we walked into the grounds, the more that I realized that enchantments must have been placed this far out. Mr. Roberts and the rest of the Muggles around here couldn't be allowed out this far. Because this was where all of the real magic was happening. We forced our way through the large crowd, taking in the sights of the real World Cup. Cheerful music was playing and people flew about overhead on brooms. I laughed as a middle-aged man nearly took off Ron's head.

At least you could really feel the magic out here. Vendors were set up everywhere and kids ran about with either Ireland or Bulgaria merchandise. I saw a few couples arguing over the teams. Even more, people were holding up banners and flags, already cheering even hours before the match started. After a few minutes we had reached the very edge of the wood at the top of the field, and there was an empty space, with a small sign hammered into the ground that read WEEZLY.

"Couldn't have a better spot! The field is just on the other side of the wood there, we're as close as we could be," Mr. Weasley said happily.

"Cool!" I chirped happily.

No walking meant a much better time for me. I was sick of having to trek through the woods and terrain of England anyway. It was much harder than the mostly flat surfaces in Florida. Mr. Weasley hoisted his backpack from his shoulders. The rest of us followed suit. I stared at the tent and glanced around. There were tents in each direction. I couldn't figure out which one was my parents' - the signs were too far away. I just needed to know which way to walk when I snuck out to meet Cedric tonight. If they weren't making me stay with them, at least.

"Where are my parents staying?" I asked Mr. Weasley nervously.

He motioned two tents down from us. "They're a few tents down. Not to fear, Tara. I'll talk to Marcus and remind him that you were supposed to originally stay with us. It's only fair, right?" Mr. Weasley offered.

My lips turned up in a smile. "Thanks, Mr. Weasley. Did he mention why he's upset with me?" I asked awkwardly.

Mr. Weasley grinned. My stomach churned in knots. That just made things ten times worse. I was sure that Dad made the entire thing sound like they had caught us in the middle of a seriously improper act. "He did. But not to fear. We've all done some improper things. That's what makes them fun," Mr. Weasley said, winking at me.

I laughed. "Thanks, Mr. Weasley."

"Right, no magic allowed, strictly speaking, not when we're out in these numbers on Muggle land," Mr. Weasley said excitedly. The rest of us laughed. No one ever listened to that rule. But we tried. "We'll be putting these tents up by hand! Shouldn't be too difficult… Muggles do it all the time… Here, Harry, Tara, where do you reckon we should start?"

"It's pretty easy. Come on," I said.

A few times, back in the States, I had gone on camping trips over the summers with my friends. Although Harry had never been camping in his life; the Dursley's had never taken him on any kind of holiday, preferring to leave him with Mrs. Figg, an old neighbor. However, with my assistance, he and Hermione worked out where most of the poles and pegs were supposed to go, and though Mr. Weasley was more of a hindrance than a help, because he got thoroughly overexcited when it came to using the mallet, we finally managed to erect a pair of shabby two-man tents.

There had to be some kind of charm placed on them. There was no way that we were all going to manage to fit in there. Since none of the Weasley's looked particularly concerned, I didn't bother saying anything. I assumed that it was for Muggles to mistake these as actual tents. Back in the States, we weren't concerned. We used fully magical tents. All of us stood back to admire our handiwork. Nobody looking at the tents would guess they belonged to wizards, but the trouble was that once Bill, Charlie, and Percy arrived, we would be a party of eleven.

That must have been what Harry was thinking. I could see it in his eyes. I grinned to myself. It would be rather amusing watching him enter the tent for the first time. Much like his reaction when he had first seen both Hogwarts and Diagon Alley. I then turned to Hermione to see if she was curious about the size of the tent too. She certainly looked it. Hermione had spotted the problem too; she gave Harry and me a quizzical look as Mr. Weasley dropped to his hands and knees and entered the first tent.

I walked up to Harry's side and patted him on the shoulder. "It's bigger on the inside," I told him with a wink.

"We'll be a bit cramped, but I think we'll all squeeze in. Come and have a look," Mr. Weasley called back to us.

Harry stared at me for a moment. I grinned at him and walked forward. I bent down, ducked under the tent flap, and felt my jaw drop. I instantly began laughing. It was rather comically furnished. But the actual tent was a perfect size. Harry came in behind me. We had walked into what looked like an old-fashioned, four-room flat, complete with bathroom and kitchen. Oddly enough, it was furnished in exactly the same sort of style as Mrs. Figg's house: There were crocheted covers on the mismatched chairs and a strong smell of cats.

Everyone instantly went to rummaging around the tent. There was a living room that we were spat out into with a few very fluffy chairs. Directly behind that was a dining room and, off to the side, the kitchen. The bunks were on each side of the tent. One larger one for the boys and a much smaller one for the girls. Hermione and Ginny were shrieking with laughter as they entered the bedroom. Ron darted off to the kitchen. Mr. Weasley began to unpack as the twins headed up towards the dining room. Harry hesitated in the doorway.

"Girls. Choose a bunk and unpack. Ron, get out of the kitchen, we're all hungry," Mr. Weasley called.

"Yeah get out of the kitchen, Ron," the twins said, kicking their feet up onto the table.

"Feet off the table," Mr. Weasley ordered them.

"Feet off the table," the twins repeated in a sing-song voice.

Mr. Weasley had barely walked past when Fred and George put their feet right back on the table, leaning backward in their chairs. I rolled my eyes at them as I walked up toward the dining room. Hermione and Ginny were finding their own bunks. I tossed Hermione my things to place on the leftover bed. Ron appeared to be trying to sneak some kind of dessert from the kitchen. Mr. Weasley looked to be the only one actually getting their things put away. I walked up to the twins and rolled my eyes at them.

"Brats," I said.

They both looked up at me and grinned playfully. I laughed under my breath as I dropped down into the chair across the table from George and next to Fred. I instantly kicked my feet up onto the table and leaned back in my chair. I couldn't quite get enough room with the twins' long legs, so I reached over and kicked their legs off so that I had some room. They glared at me. I glanced back and saw that Harry was staring, wonderstruck, at the tent. As he walked forward, I reached back and grabbed his hands.

"I love magic," Harry breathed.

"Well, it's not for long," Mr. Weasley said, mopping his bald patch with a handkerchief and peering in at the four bunk beds that stood in the boys' bedroom. "I borrowed this from Perkins at the office. Doesn't camp much anymore, poor fellow, he's got lumbago." He picked up the dusty kettle and peered inside it. "We'll need water..."

"There's a tap marked on this map the Muggle gave us," Ron said. He had followed Harry inside the tent and seemed completely unimpressed by its extraordinary inner proportions. All he wanted was food, as always. "It's on the other side of the field."

"I'll go," I said quickly, hopping up from the chair.

"Obvious," the twins said through coughs.

"Shut up!" I barked, whacking them on the back of their heads.

"Wonderful! Well, why don't you, Ron, Harry, and Hermione go and get us some water then," Mr. Weasley handed over the kettle and a couple of saucepans, "and the rest of us will get some wood for a fire?"

"But we've got an oven," Ron said. "Why can't we just -"

"Ron, anti-Muggle security!" Mr. Weasley yelped quickly, his face shining with anticipation. "When real Muggles camp, they cook on fires outdoors. I've seen them at it!"

"Campfires are fun!" I butted in. "We can make s'mores!"

"What?" Ron asked blankly.

Harry, Hermione, and I stared at him. "You don't know what s'mores are?" we all asked together.

"No," the Weasley's all said together.

They had never had s'mores... I changed my mind. Wizards were completely useless. "That's a travesty. We'll have to have a conversation about that later," I told them.

After a quick tour of the girls' side of the tent, which was slightly smaller than the boys', though without the smell of cats, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I set off across the campsite with the kettle and saucepans. It was so much fun to see everyone interacting with each other. It was lovely. At least England did have some fun during the World Cup. It was pathetic before right now. Now, with the sun newly risen and the mist lifting, we could see the city of tents that stretched in every direction. It must have gone on for miles.

We made our way slowly through the rows, staring eagerly around. I was also looking to see if I could find Cedric wandering about. I figured that Mr. Diggory would have likely sent Cedric to get some water, just like we had been. As I glanced around, I smiled. There were definitely more people at the Quidditch World Cup in England then there were in the States. It was only just dawning on me how many witches and wizards there must have been in the world; I had never really thought much about those in other countries, save the States.

But I should have known just how many there were. There were people juggling as we walked and others who were selling all sorts of merchandise. People were strolling all about, laughing and chuckling with each other. It was too bad that the World Cup didn't come around every year. I would have loved to get to see this every summer. As I glanced about, I wondered if any of my friends from the States were here. I kept my eyes out to see if there were any people from Hogwarts here either. I knew a lot of people had wanted to come.

Our fellow campers were all starting to wake up by now. It wouldn't be long before everyone was up. The first to stir were families with small children. It had been a long time since I had seen witches and wizards that young. Not since the summer program at Ilvermorny and the occasional ones I'd seen in Diagon Alley. A tiny boy no older than two was crouched outside a large pyramid-shaped tent, holding a wand and poking happily at a slug in the grass, which was swelling slowly to the size of a salami. As we drew level with him, his mother came hurrying out of the tent.

"How many times, Kevin? You don't - touch Daddy's - wand - yecchh!"

Ron exchanged a grin with me. We were the two who remembered just how goofy being a young child in the Wizarding World was. It led to the moments when I had ended up in India through the Floo Network and how Ron had ended up with a spider as a teddy bear on behalf of Fred. They made for some funny stories. In the present day, the mother had ended up trampling over the giant slug, which burst under her foot. Her scolding carried after us on the still air, mingling with the little boy's yells.

"You bust slug! You bust slug!"

We all grinned at each other as we walked past. Hermione even looked the slightest bit amused. It was rather funny. She was usually the most straight-laced out of any of us. A short way farther on, we saw two little witches, barely older than Kevin, who were riding toy broomsticks that rose only high enough for the girls' toes to skim the dewy grass. I smiled at them. I used to have a little broomstick like that. They didn't soar that high into the air and they had auto-brakes. Most young witches and wizards had them at some point in their childhood.

A Ministry wizard had already spotted the two girls; as he hurried past Harry, Ron, Hermione, and me he muttered distractedly, "In broad daylight! Parents having a lie in, I suppose -"

It was more likely that the parents just didn't care. They likely just wanted to let their kids have fun. Back in the States, kids would fly around trying to mimic the professional players both before and after the game. Here and there adult wizards and witches who had arrived days ago were emerging from their tents and starting to cook breakfast. Some, with furtive looks around them, conjured fires with their wands; others were striking matches with dubious looks on their faces, as though sure that couldn't work.

Three African wizards sat in serious conversation, all of them wearing long white robes and roasting what looked like a rabbit on a bright purple fire, while a group of middle-aged American witches sat gossiping happily beneath a spangled banner stretched between their tents that read: THE SALEM WITCHES' INSTITUTE. I grinned. That was the school I might have gone to for continued education in the States. I caught snatches of conversation in strange languages from the inside of tents we passed, and though I couldn't understand a word, the tone of every single voice was excited.

Each person was laughing and shouting excitedly. The longer that we walked, the more that I noticed magic was being used. I supposed that once people were awake and careless, they wanted to start using magic. Not that I blamed them. It certainly made everything work a lot faster. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought that I might have spotted some of Cedric's friends from school. If there were around here, there was a good chance that Cedric wasn't too far off. We were getting close to the field where his tent was.

"Er - is it my eyes, or has everything gone green?" Ron asked suddenly.

"It's the Irish supporters," I answered.

It wasn't just Ron's eyes. We had gone into the Irish side of the campsite. We had walked into a patch of tents that were all covered with a thick growth of shamrocks so that it looked as though small, oddly shaped hillocks had sprouted out of the earth. The leprechauns must have been hanging around here somewhere. They had been the Irish National Quidditch Team's mascot forever. Grinning faces could be seen under those that had their flaps open. Then, from behind us, we heard our names.

"Tara! Harry! Ron! Hermione!"

That voice was definitely familiar. It was Seamus Finnigan, our fellow Gryffindor Fourth Year. He was sitting in front of his own shamrock-covered tent, with a sandy-haired woman who had to be his mother, and his best friend, Dean Thomas, also of Gryffindor. I was definitely excited to see the two of them. I'd only seen them for a game of soccer in the middle of summer and once when we had run into each other in Diagon Alley. I darted up to them happily, the other three following closely.

"Seamus! Dean!" I chirped.

The three of us went spinning as I caught them in a tight hug. We all laughed as we stepped back and let the other three join us. "Like the decorations? The Ministry's not too happy," Seamus said, grinning happily.

"Love 'em," I said, grinning at the brilliant green decorations. "And damn the Ministry."

Seamus raised an eyebrow. "Don't your parents work for the Ministry?" he asked.

"Yep."

Seamus and Dean laughed. Even Ron cracked a smile. Hermione frowned disapprovingly. "Ah, why shouldn't we show our colors? You should see what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents," Mrs. Finnegan said.

"They're big-headed," I answered.

"You'll be supporting Ireland, of course?" Mrs. Finnegan added, eyeing Harry, Ron, Hermione, and me wearily.

Everyone instantly stepped backward. Seamus looked a little bit embarrassed about his mother's words and our reactions. I understood. That was what parents were good for. Embarrassing their kids. It took us almost half an hour to convince her that we really were planning on supporting Ireland. She seemed to only really believe me since the States tended to be the friendliest with Ireland's team. When we had all managed to assure her that we were indeed supporting Ireland, we said goodbye to Seamus and Dean and set off again.

"Like we'd say anything else surrounded by that lot," Ron mumbled.

"I wonder what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents?" Hermione asked.

"Probably their flag, at least. They usually dangle that over everything," I answered her.

"Let's go and have a look," Harry said.

He was pointing to a large patch of tents upfield, where the Bulgarian flag - white, green, and red - was fluttering in the breeze. I smiled at the others, just like always, glad to be right. The tents on the Bulgarian side of the camp had not been bedecked with plant life, but each and every one of them had the same poster attached to it, a poster of a very surly face with heavy black eyebrows. The picture was, of course, moving, but all it did was blink and scowl. It was easily recognizable as Viktor Krum.

"Krum," Ron echoed my thoughts quietly.

"What?" Hermione asked.

If there was anyone who wouldn't know who Krum was, it was Hermione. She liked Quidditch but didn't keep up with it. "Krum! Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker!" Ron gasped, horrified that Hermione didn't know who he was.

"He looks really grumpy," Hermione said, looking around at the many Krum's blinking and scowling at us.

"He always looks like he has to go to the bathroom," I said.

"'Really grumpy?" Ron repeated.

"Quidditch players usually do, though," I pointed out.

"No, he doesn't!" Ron shouted at me, finally realizing what I had said. I grinned as he raised his eyes to the heavens. "Who cares what he looks like? He's unbelievable. He's really young too. Only just eighteen or something. He's a genius, you wait until tonight, you'll see."

"Is he even eighteen?" I asked Ron.

Ron scoffed. "Who cares? A lot of the professional Quidditch players are young," he said.

"That's true," I shrugged.

It took us another few minutes to get to the tap near the edge of the camp. There was already a small queue for the tap in the corner of the field - even this early in the morning. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I joined it, right behind a pair of men who were having a heated argument. One of them was a very old wizard who was wearing a long flowery nightgown. The other was clearly a Ministry wizard; he was holding out a pair of pinstriped trousers and almost crying with exasperation.

"Just put them on, Archie, there's a good chap. You can't walk around like that, the Muggle at the gate's already getting suspicious -"

"I bought this in a Muggle shop," the old wizard said stubbornly. "Muggles wear them."

"Muggle women wear them, Archie, not the men, they wear these," the Ministry wizard said, and he brandished the pinstriped trousers.

"I'm not putting them on," old Archie said in indignation. "I like a healthy breeze 'round my privates, thanks."

Instantly Hermione and I were overcome with such a strong fit of the giggles that we had to hide our faces in each other's shoulders. But that was only making things worse since I could hear her laughing too. At this point, we ended up having to duck out of the queue and only returned when Archie had collected his water and moved away. It took us a few minutes to fill everything up that we were planning on carrying back. At least, they would. I was still planning on handing them off my bucket once I found Cedric.

Once we had gathered all of the water, we turned away and headed off. Walking even more slowly now, because of the added weight of the water, we made our way back through the campsite. We had already been gone for at least an hour. We would have to be getting back soon enough so that we could put all of our things away, get a chance to buy ourselves some souvenirs, have lunch, and eventually head to the game. I couldn't wait, but it was still almost twelve hours before the game even started.

Here and there, we ended up seeing more familiar faces: other Hogwarts students with their families. Oliver Wood, the old Captain of Harry and my House Quidditch Team, who had just left Hogwarts, dragged Harry and me over to his parents' tent to introduce us. They were just as excited about Quidditch as Oliver was. He looked thrilled to be here. He told us excitedly that he had just been signed to the Puddlemere United Reserve Team. He had told me before he'd graduated Hogwarts a few months ago, but I had forgotten to pass along the message to Harry.

After that, we were hailed by Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff Fourth Year. We stopped and chatted with him for a little while. Unfortunately, a little farther on we saw Cho Chang, an unfortunately very pretty girl who played Seeker on the Ravenclaw Team. She waved and smiled at Harry, who slopped quite a lot of water down his front as he waved back. I laughed hysterically, which only caused her to glare at me. She had always hated me and likely always would. Mostly because I was dating Cedric, whom she'd had a crush on forever.

More to stop Ron from smirking and me from saying something about his obvious crush than anything else, Harry hurried along the path and motioned for us to follow him. I left, feeling Cho Chang burning holes in my back. I saw a few very obviously American witches and wizards, but no one that I knew. There were even a few Slytherin's scattered here and there. We all walked off before they could say anything rude to us. Eventually, Harry pointed out a large group of teenagers whom we had never seen before.

"Who d'you reckon they are? They don't go to Hogwarts, do they?" Harry asked.

"'Expect they go to some foreign school. I know there are others. Never met anyone who went to one, though," Ron said. I whipped to him in annoyance. Did they ever listen to me? "Bill had a pen-friend at a school in Brazil… this was years and years ago… and he wanted to go on an exchange trip but Mum and Dad couldn't afford it. His penfriend got all offended when he said he wasn't going and sent him a cursed hat. It made his ears shrivel up."

Harry laughed, as did I, but Hermione scowled disapprovingly. I could see in his eyes that he must have been amazed at the idea of hearing about the other wizarding schools. How they had all been so stupid to not realize that there were others - beyond Hogwarts and Ilvermorny (if they even remembered my old school) - was behind me. I glanced at Hermione, who looked utterly unsurprised by the information. No doubt she had run across the news about other wizarding schools in some book or other. She also likely remembered my stories.

"Hey, morons," I barked. The three of them looked at me in annoyance. "You know that I went to a foreign wizard school for a summer program when I was younger, right?"

"That's right! Livermerne or something like that?" Ron asked.

"Ilvermorny!" I shouted, annoyed with his butchering of my old school's name.

Ron paled. "Was it fun?" Hermione asked, trying to change the direction of the conversation.

"It was really cool. It was a castle, just like Hogwarts. I had a lot of friends there and I do miss them sometimes," I said honestly. Hermione frowned. I assumed that she also missed her friends from her old Muggle school sometimes. "But I'm really happy to be with you guys. Hopefully, you guys can see it one day. Ilvermorny's one of the less mysterious schools."

"Because American's love to show off," Ron huffed.

That was... moderately true. "Shut up," I snapped.

Everyone laughed, knowing that I had gotten caught there. I was the first one to admit that American's were somewhat of showoffs. I always had been, at least. Hence why I was on the Quidditch Team at Hogwarts. We all had to be somewhat of exhibitionists. I smiled at the others as we continued our trek back to the corner of the campsite. We were almost completely back through the Irish section of the camp when a hand laid itself on my shoulder. I almost dropped my bucket of water, they had scared me so badly.

"There you are," Cedric's voice called.

"Ah!" I chirped happily, grinning at him. "Been looking for you."

"Guess we'll wait for you," Harry muttered.

Both he and Ron looked annoyed. Hermione was smiling politely. Cedric grinned at the others as I handed off my bucket of water to Harry. "Please and thank you!" I called after them. They walked off to chat with Seamus and Dean again. I turned back to Cedric. "Glad you found me."

"Glad to see you. Can I borrow you for a moment?" Cedric asked, motioning me off.

"Suppose so," I said, what I hoped was careless.

"Suppose?" Cedric repeated, grinning.

"Suppose," I confirmed.

Cedric stared at me for a moment before laughing. It didn't take long for me to start laughing too. We both smiled as Cedric grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him. We wound in between the Irish supporters as I kept a careful eye out for Dad. I wasn't exactly sure where he was right now, but I didn't want to get caught all over again. I smiled at myself as we headed toward the woods and passed a few trees on the outer edge. We were the only people out here, considering everyone else was at the campsite.

In the back of my mind, I knew that we weren't supposed to be here. They had always said that no one was allowed out in the Muggle woods - with the exception of when the game started up and we were allowed out at the stadium. Besides, I had never really cared about the rules. Evidence by each terrible thing we had done at the end of every previous school year. Much to my surprise, Cedric eventually grabbed my waist and pushed me back against the tree. His lips instantly met mine.

Now I realized why we were out in the woods. There was no way that we could do this on the campsite. There was a good chance that Dad would end up right in the middle of the kiss. Or maybe someone else would see it and repeat it to him. Nope. Any time that we wanted to be together over the next few weeks, it was going to have to be in a moderately private area. We remained locked in this kiss for a long time. Harry, Ron, and Hermione would likely be sick of waiting for me, but I didn't care. They would just have to wait for a little while.

It was the first time that we had really gotten to be together since we had gotten caught out in Diagon Alley the other day. I was extremely grateful to finally be back around him. Even if it was just going to be for a few minutes. Partially because I knew that Cedric was friendly with Cho Chang and she had a pretty massive crush on him. Maybe I could be a little paranoid... I mostly just enjoyed being back with him. I would enjoy these few minutes that I got to be together with him with nothing interrupting us.

After a few minutes, I felt his hands wind around my back and underneath my clothes, just as they had that day in Diagon Alley. I laughed softly under my breath and bunched his own clothes up in my hands, doing the exact same thing to his clothes that he was doing to mine. It was definitely a heated kiss, more so than it usually was, but that was what made my heart flutter. I would have never dared do this before. And I liked that I was getting a little more daring in our private times together.

Eventually, we both had to pull away and breathe. I did so and smiled at Cedric, who grinned back at me. "That was quite the way to say hello," he teased breathlessly.

"Just wait til you see goodbye," I teased.

We both laughed as my face burned slightly. I probably shouldn't have said that... "How are things at home?" Cedric asked.

"Not good," I admitted.

"What's been going on?" Cedric asked, leaning up against the tree with me.

Letting out a soft breath, I began tugging on a thread at my sleeve. "Believe it or not, Mom has actually gotten over it," I said. Cedric arched a brow and smiled. "She says that she's going to try and talk to my father and get him to see that this really isn't that bad. But I don't know how that's going to work out. He seems furious. You saw him. He won't even let me look at you."

Cedric nodded thoughtfully. "Who can blame him? I am devilishly handsome. I could seduce you just like this," Cedric said teasingly.

He leaned back and struck an absolutely ridiculously seductive pose, his hip jutted out in one direction, one hand behind his head, with his chin, tilted upward. I started laughing hysterically. He knees were bent slightly as he bounced up and down. One thing that people would never know about Cedric was that he was actually very funny. Even more than the twins were sometimes. He just had a more demure sense of humor. I laughed and shoved into him, throwing him off balance, slightly embarrassed by his actions.

"Watch it, you're starting to sound like me," I teased.

"That's not a bad thing," Cedric said.

As he leaned down and pressed another soft kiss against my lips, I smiled up at him. "I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts," I whispered quietly.

"Me either," Cedric admitted. "Did you hear about what's going to come to Hogwarts this year?"

More on that mysterious thing that was going to interrupt our year. "Percy keeps trying to goad everyone into asking what it is. We don't want to give him the satisfaction. But Dad mentioned something about it. I'm not really sure what it is. I asked him if it had anything to do with Quidditch and he said no so I told him that I didn't care," I explained.

Cedric grinned deviously. "Oh, I think you might."

"Alright... so what is it?" I asked, mildly curious.

"I'm certainly not telling you. You'll have to wait and see," Cedric teased playfully.

"Cedric Diggory!" I gasped, affronted. "I'm your girlfriend!"

It was his job to tell me things that I wasn't supposed to know. "That's exactly why I'm not telling you," Cedric said.

"Come on!" I yelped. He merely grinned at me, arms folded over his chest. I huffed impatiently. "Oh, forget you. I'm not giving you the satisfaction of getting me upset. I don't care."

Cedric stared at me for a moment before saying, "You definitely care."

"Do not!" I barked, even though I did.

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"Do too."

He wasn't going to know that I cared that he wouldn't tell me. I wouldn't give him that satisfaction. What I would do was attack him. I growled under my breath as I launched after Cedric, who had clearly been expecting it. I threw him forward and jumped up onto his back. He laughed and wrapped an arm around my thigh, pulling me off of himself and attempting to throw me to the grass. I leaned up and kissed him instead, hoping that I might be able to distract him. We both began laughing again, trying to unentangle ourselves.

Just as I was about to kiss him again, there was a shout that cut through the air. "Tara! Tara Nox!" a female's voice ran out.

It wasn't Mom's voice, but they were definitely an American. "I think someone's calling you," Cedric said.

"What would have given you that idea?" I asked flatly. Cedric grinned at me. I turned back in time to see two people I hadn't seen in far too long rushing toward me. "Ellie! Morena!"

"Tara!" Ellie chirped.

Cedric stepped back, obviously getting the sense that this was a somewhat private moment. He merely watched us with a grin as the two girls came darting up to me. I met them halfway, slamming into them in a hug at full speed. Both looked the same as they had the last time that I'd seen them a few months ago during a trip to the States. Ellie was still tall and her dark brown hair still hung around her waist. Morena was still thin as could be with blazing red hair. The girls were clearly looking me over just the way I was doing to them.

"Oh, we've missed you!" Morena chirped, pulling out of the hug first.

"Oh, I've missed you guys, too!" I said happily. But I was surprised to see them. The girls had never really been that fond of Quidditch. "I can't believe you're both here!"

"We both came with our families. Everyone's here!" Ellie said. I couldn't wait to see their families. I'd always loved their parents and siblings. "Michael, David, and Justin are hanging around somewhere."

Even after all of these years, the five of them were still as close as ever. I was surprised but pleased to hear that. "You're all still best friends?" I asked curiously.

"Of course. We just miss you," Morena said.

"I miss you guys too," I said honestly.

There were days that I really did miss the five of them. Ellie seemed to finally notice Cedric standing in the background. She eyed him up and down, making me grin. Cedric noticed too but chose not to comment on it. He merely smiled at me. He strode forward, throwing an arm over my shoulder. Ellie instantly backed off. Not that I cared. She didn't know about the two of us. I'd never told them. Morena looked at him too. She even looked slightly interested and normally Ellie was the boy-crazy one.

"And who's this?" Ellie asked sweetly, eyeing the two of us curiously.

"Right. Cedric, these are my best friends from Ilvermorny, Ellie and Morena," I introduced them. They both waved. "And the boys!"

My three male best friends from childhood walked forward. For a moment they looked shocked to see me. It seemed that they got over it rather quickly. I ran and hugged all three of them. They had all gotten taller since I'd last seen them. Michael now towered over everyone else. David had much longer hair than when I had last seen him and seemed to be gaining muscle mass from playing as a Beater on the Thunderbird House Team - as he'd told me in his last letter. Justin could have easily passed for seventeen by now. As I backed away from them, I turned back to Cedric.

"This is Michael, David, and Justin," I introduced Cedric. He waved at them as I turned again. "Everyone, this is Cedric Diggory. My - uh - my boyfriend."

My face was burning brilliantly. I never had actually enjoyed calling Cedric my boyfriend. I just liked the idea. "Boyfriend, eh?" Ellie asked curiously.

Cedric laughed. "Nice to meet you all," he said.

"When did the two of you start going out?" David asked curiously.

Hopefully, they weren't about to give him the fourth degree. "Oh, it was early last year," Cedric said, sensing my hesitance to speak. "She just couldn't leave me alone."

Somewhat true... "Funny," I snapped as the others laughed.

"Tell us everything!" Ellie chirped.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Cedric tapped his wristwatch. He was right. We had been too long. "I don't really think there's time," I told them regretfully. They frowned. "I have to be getting back to my friends and parents soon and I'd assume that Cedric does too. But I'll write you guys! I've missed seeing you all."

"Us too, Tara. Write to us," Morena said.

I nodded my consent. "And let us know if you're ever back in the States," Justin added.

"Definitely," I said. We all began making our way back to camp when I remembered something. "Hey! Who are you all rooting for?"

"Ireland," they all replied.

Everyone grinned. "Okay. We can all still be friends," I teased.

There was no way that I was going to tolerate any of my friends rooting for Bulgaria. If there was a chance that Ron was going to support Bulgaria because of Krum, I'd beat it out of him. Everyone laughed at me as I moved forward and gave them all departing hugs. Ellie and Morena latched on a little longer than the boys did. I had a feeling that it might have been because of Cedric. I had noticed them all giving each other once over's. Justin, David, and Michael had always been very much like my big brothers.

There had never been anything even moderately romantic between any of us. I knew that Ellie had a crush on some guy back in Ilvermorny and Morena hadn't yet had her first crush. Justin was dating some girl from Iowa that they went to Ilvermorny with, David was trying to talk to a girl from Texas, and Michael was still enjoying getting to play the field. It always made me laugh. It was very much like Michael. He and Ellie were always the most flirtatious of us. I was hoping that one day the two of them would end up together.

Perhaps I would have to push Morena, David, and Justin to get the two of them together. I was very pleased when Cedric came forward and shook their hands as a departing gesture. I gave them another hug as we all headed off back toward the campsite. I smiled gratefully at Cedric, glad that he was letting them take up some of the time that we were supposed to be having together. As we crossed back over into the campsite, I asked Cedric to wait a few moments for me to say goodbye to my friends. He nodded and walked off.

"Where's Harry Potter?" Justin asked curiously.

They had met only once before, the summer before last. "He's off with my two other friends - Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger - waiting for the two of us," I explained. They nodded. "Giving us some... time."

My voice tapered off awkwardly. The boys scowled as Ellie and Morena grinned deviously. "Seriously?" David snapped.

"Get it, Tara!" Ellie chirped.

"It was just a few minutes to talk!" I snapped.

They all laughed as my face began burning. Why did it seem like every conversation about Cedric and I's relationship seemed to eventually turn to that? I was sick of having to awkwardly explain that the two of us weren't to that point yet. There was a brief moment of everyone snapping at each other. Ellie and Morena were both laughing and cheering me on. David and Justin were snapping at them to stop cheering me on. Michael was lecturing me on the simple fact that I was too young for anything like that. It took me almost five minutes to get them to stop.

"Would you look at that?" Michael said teasingly. I arched a brow, wondering what he was talking about. "Miss Tara Nox is best friends with the savior of the Wizarding World, Harry Potter, and she's clearly dating one of the most attractive guys in Hogwarts." The girls hooted playfully. "Not to mention that he's older than you."

"Oh, stop it," I groaned, embarrassed.

"We always knew that you would be the first one to get some hot boyfriend!" Ellie said.

In all honesty, I thought it would be her. "Thanks, guys," I mumbled.

"And he really is cute," Morena said, shooting an innocent look at Cedric from over her shoulder.

"Oh, come on, he's not that cute," Michael huffed.

"Yes, he is!" Ellie countered. "Tell us about him."

It was always awful, having to explain Cedric to other people. It made me feel so awkward. "As I said, his name is Cedric Diggory. He's going into his Sixth Year at Hogwarts this year. He's a Prefect and in Hufflepuff House. He plays as the Seeker on their Quidditch team and he's also the Captain," I explained briefly.

They were quiet for a few moments before Morena said, "So, he's pretty much perfect?"

"Pretty much!" I chirped.

When it came down to it, Cedric really was the perfect kind of boyfriend. He had wonderful grades, he was going to have no problem getting a job after Hogwarts graduation, and he was absolutely beautiful to look at. He was older than me - a bonus in itself - a wonderful Quidditch player, and he didn't mind bending the rules from time to time. Ellie and Morena laughed as the boys rolled their eyes. I doubted that they liked being upstaged by a guy that they'd met just a few minutes ago.

"Lucky you," Ellie teased.

"He's not that great," Justin huffed.

"You don't even know him!" I said, shoving him. "Two of my friends call him Pretty-Boy Diggory. Unfortunately, that name has caught on and now pretty much everyone I know calls him that."

"Next time you're in the States, you're going to have to tell us all about what happened," Morena said.

"Deal."

"We'll see you soon, then?" David asked.

"Probably next summer. But I'll write," I said happily.

"We'll hold you up on that," Michael said, nudging my shoulder.

"Bye, guys. It was really good to see you all!" I chirped happily.

"You too!" they all called back.

"You damn well better write," Ellie warned.

"Absolutely!" I said.

"And tell us everything that's happening between you and Cedric Diggory!" Morena called after me.

"Not everything!" Justin added.

I laughed. "Get out of here!"

They really were terrible. We weren't getting to that point yet. Perhaps in a few years - if we were still together - but definitely not yet. With final hugs exchanged between us all, my old friends walked off and I smiled. It really had been good to see them again. I did miss them. I turned back and walked over to where Cedric had been waiting for me. He was smiling at me, clearly by the way my friends had spoken to me. I rolled my eyes. But I was quickly mortified when I realized that he might have heard everything that they had said.

"Your friends seem nice," Cedric said.

As I fell into step with him, he wrapped an arm up around my shoulder. "They're just looking for reasons to try and embarrass me. Using you is one of the best reasons," I explained.

He looked at me teasingly. "I try and embarrass you," he pointed out.

"You succeed," I said. "Actually, my father succeeds more than anyone else does."

"You know that he loves you," Cedric said. I grumbled my consent to him. He was right, but I didn't want to admit it. "Neither one of us might enjoy what he's been doing, but he does care for your best interest. He likely just remembers what boys were like during his own time at Hogwarts and he fears that happening to his own daughter."

For a long time, I merely stared at him. Cedric didn't even crack a smile, letting me know that he was being completely serious. He really was quite intelligent. He always knew what to say. Whether or not it was the thing that I wanted to hear. I didn't really want to hear the truth, but I knew that it was something I needed to hear. Dad did love me and he wanted to try and protect me from a potential heartbreak. I knew that... I did... I knew that his protection of me was exactly what most fathers did. But I wasn't going to let Cedric know that.

So I settled on saying, "You sound like a grandmother."

Cedric laughed and punched me on the arm. "I'm trying to help you!" he chuckled.

"I know, I know. It's all fair. I just wish that I didn't have to sacrifice any of my time with you," I mumbled sadly.

"Two weeks and we're back at Hogwarts," Cedric pointed out.

"That's true. I can't wait," I said excitedly.

"Surprisingly, me either. It should be a good year," he said.

"Definitely!" I chirped.

Getting away from Mom and Dad and getting an easy opportunity for some alone time with Cedric was worth all of the work at Hogwarts. "Are you going to come and meet me out here at midnight?" Cedric asked.

"I'll have to think about that..." I said teasingly.

Cedric grinned. "How about I help out that thought process?"

He was more than welcome to help out my thought process. It was moments like these that I understood why people thought that we had done more than we had. Cedric walked toward me, wrapped an arm around my lower back, and pulled me into him. He pressed his lips against mine as one of his hands went up to my hair. I laughed softly, placing my hands in his back pockets - just the way that we had been when we had gotten caught in Diagon Alley. That was enough to make me break the kiss. Dad was still wandering around here somewhere.

"Alright, that convinced me," I said.

Cedric laughed. "Good. In the meantime, you should probably be heading back," Cedric suggested. I groaned. We had barely had any time together. "No use getting in even more trouble than you were in before."

He was right about that. Plus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still waiting for me to return so we could all head back. "You're right about that. Dad's not over with the Weasley's right now though. He's helping set up the last few things for the World Cup. But, with my luck, I'll end up walking right into him with you. So... midnight it is," I said.

"See you then," Cedric promised.

That was all if the game was over by midnight. It would start at eight o'clock. Sometimes it went on for days. Sometimes it only went on for a few hours. With Krum in the mix, I assumed that it would end rather quickly. Cedric moved forward and pressed a final kiss against my mouth one last time as I waved goodbye, turning and walking back to where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waiting for me. Harry and Ron glared at me. Hermione was still looking around. As Cedric walked off in the other direction, I smiled after him.

Harry instantly thrust the bucket of water back in my chest. I grunted as I caught it. "Where were you?" Harry asked.

"Knock it off," Hermione and I said together.

We both laughed as Harry and Ron glared at me all over again. I noticed them sending Cedric a nasty look as he walked off back to his tent. I whacked them over the back of the head as we walked back through the tents. Everyone was clearly wide awake by now. The music was blaring through the campsite and I smiled as the guests soared overhead on their brooms. This was exactly why Mr. Roberts had already been Obliviated a number of times. It took almost ten minutes to get all the way back to the Weasley's tent.

"You've been ages," George said when we finally reentered the Weasley's tent.

"Met a few people," Ron said, setting the water down.

He took my pale as I walked back over to where the twins were still seated over at the table. I stared at the two of them. Had they really been sitting there the entire time? Why couldn't they have gotten up and done something else? Collecting firewood only took a few minutes. I kicked Fred's feet out of my way as I took a seat in the chair next to him. He instantly threw his legs up over my own. I scowled at him and decided to accept it. He likely knew where I had gotten off to and he could easily hold it over my head.

"What was it that you told me? I was oddly popular?" I asked the twins.

"Popular with everyone, or popular with a certain Hufflepuff?" Fred asked softly.

"Shut up!" I gasped, whipping my head around the tent. "Is my dad here?"

Fred shook his head. "Nah, he's off handling some last-minute details. Came back for a little while to tell everyone that he'd meet us up in the box with your mother before the game."

"Thank Merlin," I gasped.

"Glad they're gone?" Fred asked.

"Duh," I said.

"Where's Diggory?" Fred asked.

Of course, he had known where I had headed off to. He was one of the people who knew me best. "Back with his father," I said. Fred merely stared at me with a knowing look. "We - We just happened to run into each other!"

"And meet mouth-to-mouth?" Fred teased.

My face dropped into a scowl. "Just you wait until you get yourself your first girlfriend, Fred Weasley. I'm going to make your life miserable," I hissed.

"Who's to say I haven't already had one?" Fred asked.

There was a slight grin on his face. Something was very teasing behind it. Much to my surprise, something about that statement bothered me. I wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps it was just the fact that Fred - like always - was being an asshole. But I knew that it wasn't the truth. I had a feeling that it might have been because the idea of Fred being with someone else was weird. I wasn't really sure why. But there was a definite spike of aggravation in my chest at the thought. I opened my mouth to snap back at Fred when Ron spoke over me.

"You've not got that fire started yet?" Ron asked.

"Dad's having fun with the matches," Fred answered.

Was it really a good idea to have Mr. Weasley playing with matches? I looked at Fred and George in concern, but they merely stared back at me blankly. They weren't concerned about their father. I turned back to see what was happening with the campfire. Mr. Weasley was having no success at all in lighting the fire, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Splintered matches littered the ground around him, but he looked as though he was having the time of his life. Harry, Hermione, and I grinned at each other. It was like watching a little kid.

"Oops!" Mr. Weasley gasped as he managed to light a match and promptly drop it in surprise.

"Come here, Mr. Weasley," Hermione kindly, taking the box from him, and showing him how to do it properly.

"Come on, fires are easy. Muggles start them all the time," I added.

Hermione knew how to light the match, but I knew that I could get a fire going faster. I was the one who always did the campfires whenever I went camping with the Granger's. It took almost twenty minutes to get the fire lit, mostly because Mr. Weasley wanted to help, though it was at least another hour before it was hot enough to cook anything. By the time we were finally able to cook something, I was starving, having mostly missed breakfast. At least there was plenty to watch while we waited.

Much to my pleasure, our tent seemed to be pitched right alongside a kind of thoroughfare to the field, and Ministry members kept hurrying up and down it, greeting Mr. Weasley cordially as they passed. Twice over the hour, Dad passed by, giving me a quick hello. He looked quite tired and ready for this to be over. I didn't care. The more tired he was the less I ran the risk of running into Dad when I snuck out at midnight. Mr. Weasley kept up a running commentary, mainly for Harry's and Hermione's benefit; I and his own children knew too much about the Ministry to be greatly interested.

"That was Cuthbert Mockridge, Head of the Goblin Liaison Office... Here comes Gilbert Wimple; he's with the Committee on Experimental Charms; he's had those horns for a while now… Hello, Arnie… Arnold Peasegood, he's an Obliviator - member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, you know and that's Bode and Croaker… they're Unspeakables..."

"They're what?" Harry asked.

"From the Department of Mysteries, top secret, no idea what they get up to..." Mr. Weasley explained.

Was there really a Department of Mysteries? That was the one thing that I would have always liked to see. I had asked both of my parents about it a few times before, but they always told me that they didn't even know what happened in there. At last, the fire was ready, and we had just started cooking eggs and sausages when Bill, Charlie, and Percy came strolling out of the woods toward them. I was heating up a cup of coffee that I had smuggled from an elderly American witches' tent nearby. Hermione scolded me but I ignored her.

"Just Apparated, Dad," Percy said loudly.

"No shit," I mumbled.

It wasn't quite enough. "Language," Mr. Weasley warned, although his lips were tilted upward slightly.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Ah, excellent, lunch!" Percy said.

Fred and George looked like they were having an almost impossible time not making some rude comment to Percy. It was almost funny watching the two of them start to turn purple in the face from biting back their comment. We all sat down around the campfire outside and began eating. I spent most of the breakfast chatting with Hermione about just how incredible the World Cup was sure to be. We were halfway through our plates of eggs and sausages when Mr. Weasley jumped to his feet, waving and grinning at a man who was striding toward us.

"Aha! The man of the moment! Ludo!" Mr. Weasley said happily.

Was Ludo Bagman really here? He had always driven me out of my mind. I liked him well enough, but there was always something kind of strange about him. I wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was the fact that he seemed rather dishonest, and that was something that I hated. Ludo Bagman was easily the most noticeable person I had seen at the campsite so far, even including old Archie in his flowered nightdress. Harry, Hermione, and I stared at him, bewildered. He should have known better! He was wearing long Quidditch robes in thick horizontal stripes of bright yellow and black.

It was the Wimbourne Wasps uniform. An enormous picture of a wasp was splashed across his chest. He had the look of a powerfully built man gone slightly to seed; the robes were stretched tightly across a large belly he surely had not had in the days when he had played Quidditch for England. His nose was squashed (probably broken by a stray Bludger), but his round blue eyes, short blond hair, and rosy complexion made him look like a very overgrown schoolboy. He looked more excited than I had ever seen him before.

"Ahoy there!" Bagman called happily.

Yes, it was definitely the happiest I had seen him. The last time that I had really gotten a chance to speak to him had been at the last Quidditch World Cup I'd been to in the States. He hadn't participated in the arrangement of that one, but he had been up in the Top Box and had been just as excited. It was even better now that he had gotten the chance to plan it. Or worse, according to Dad. Ludo Bagman was walking as though he had springs attached to the balls of his feet and was plainly in a state of wild excitement.

"Arthur, old man, what a day, eh?" Ludo puffed as he reached the campfire. "What a day! Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming… and hardly a hiccough in the arrangements... Not much for me to do!"

He could have gotten the others to stop flying and acting so loudly so that it was causing the Roberts' to consistently remember everything that kept happening before they were Obliviated. Behind Ludo Bagman, a group of haggard-looking Ministry wizards rushed past, pointing at the distant evidence of some sort of a magical fire that was sending violet sparks twenty feet into the air. I arched a brow. What the hell was going on over there? Something that Dad would have to deal with, I was sure.

Percy hurried forward with his hand outstretched. I rolled my eyes and made the motion to trip him with my ankle. Fred and George laughed heartily, looking like they were planning on following through with my actions. I wished that they would. I would have liked to see Percy fall into the scrambled eggs. As far as I could see, it seemed that apparently, Percy's disapproval of the way Ludo Bagman ran his department did not prevent him from wanting to make a good impression.

"Ah - yes, this is my son Percy. He's just started at the Ministry - and this is Fred - no, George, sorry - that's Fred - Bill, Charlie, Ron - my daughter, Ginny and Ron's friends, Hermione Granger, Tara Nox, and Harry Potter," Mr. Weasley said, introducing us all.

Ludo Bagman grinned at me and stepped past Percy. I grinned up at him. A good personality got you just as far in life. "Actually, I've been acquainted with Tara for a number of years. Played against her father a number of times over the years, I did," Ludo said proudly.

During exhibition matches... "Hi, Mr. Bagman," I said, giving him a quick handshake.

"Still playing Quidditch, are you, Tara?" Bagman asked.

"Yeah!" I said happily. Quidditch was the only type of conversation that I liked to have with Ludo Bagman. "Finally going to be a regular Chaser on the Gryffindor House Team this year."

Bagman smiled knowingly. "Well, we'll see about that."

"What?" I asked, confused.

Bagman waved me off. "Not a thing, dear," he said. Was that supposed to have something to do with whatever Dad, Percy, and Cedric had been talking about? "Congratulations on being on the House Team."

"Thank you, Mr. Bagman," I said politely.

Once he walked off, I noticed that he didn't exactly look away. Bagman did the smallest of double takes when he followed the line of kids. He must have realized which one of them was Harry. I watched as his eyes performed the familiar flick upward to the scar on Harry's forehead. I felt bad for Harry. He had always looked so awkward whenever people stared at his scar. I was pretty sure that I was the only person who had never stared at it, mostly because he had never really fascinated me that much.

"Everyone," Mr. Weasley continued, "this is Ludo Bagman, you know who he is, it's thanks to him and Marcus we've got such good tickets -"

Was it really Bagman that had gotten Mr. Weasley tickets in the Top Box? I had to assume that it must have been true. Dad must have ordered him to give the Weasley's the tickets, knowing that Mr. Weasley would have never accepted them from Dad. He was too proud to get them from a friend. But getting them from a coworker was something different. It was kind of sad. At least we would all be together. Bagman beamed at our group and waved his hand as if to say it had been nothing.

"Fancy a flutter on the match, Arthur?" Bagman offered eagerly, jingling what seemed to be a large amount of gold in the pockets of his yellow-and-black robes.

"He bets?" I whispered to Fred and George.

They said nothing back. They appeared to have gotten quite fascinated by the conversation. "I've already got Roddy Pontner betting me Bulgaria will score first - I offered him nice odds, considering Ireland's front three are the strongest I've seen in years - and little Agatha Timms has put up half shares in her eel farm on a week-long match," Bagman continued.

"Oh… go on then. Let's see… a Galleon on Ireland to win?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"A Galleon?" Ludo Bagman looked slightly disappointed but recovered himself. "Very well, very well… any other takers?"

"They're a bit young to be gambling," Mr. Weasley said. I shook my head anyway. I had never been very good with luck. "Molly wouldn't like -"

"We'll bet thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, three Knuts," Fred said as he and George quickly pooled all their money, "that Ireland wins but Viktor Krum gets the Snitch. Oh, and we'll throw in a fake wand."

The entire table went dead silent. No one had been expecting that. For a moment, I was stunned that the twins even had thirty-seven Galleons to begin with. That was when I realized that it wasn't all of the money that they had brought to the Quidditch World Cup. That was literally all of the money they had in their savings. My jaw dropped. If they lost this bet they would lose everything that they had to start the joke shop. I couldn't pay for the entire thing myself! The store, the merchandise, and all of the advertising costs. They barely had enough to manage it right now.

"Freddie! Georgie!" I hissed at them.

Fred turned and wrapped an arm over my shoulder. "Don't worry, love."

"We know what we're doing," George added, leaning over.

"Boys, honestly," I said worriedly.

"You don't want to go showing Mr. Bagman rubbish like that," Percy hissed.

Was no one else concerned that the twins were putting in all of the money in their savings in a bet with Bagman? They were all concerned about the damn joke wands! I tried to speak to the twins about my concerns of the bet, but they were preoccupied with Bagman. Contrary to Percy's belief, Bagman didn't seem to think the wand was rubbish at all; on the contrary, his boyish face shone with excitement as he took it from Fred, and when the wand gave a loud squawk and turned into a rubber chicken, Bagman roared with laughter.

"Excellent! I haven't seen one that convincing in years! I'd pay five Galleons for that!" Bagman laughed.

Something lit up in the twins' eyes. I knew what they were thinking. If Bagman would pay five Galleons for something as silly as a joke wand, what else would people pay for? The joke shop was a good idea but they needed to start it at Hogwarts to gather some money to actually build the joke shop once they were out of school. How were they going to buy supplies if they lost all of their money in the damn bet? I was worried, but it was rather comical to watch Percy freeze in an attitude of stunned disapproval.

"Boys, I don't want you betting... That's all your savings..." Mr. Weasley muttered under his breath, voicing my thoughts. "Your mother -"

"Don't be a spoilsport, Arthur!" Ludo Bagman boomed jovially, rattling his pockets excitedly. "They're old enough to know what they want! You reckon Ireland will win but Krum will get the Snitch? Not a chance, boys, not a chance... I'll give you excellent odds on that one... We'll add five Galleons for the funny wand, then, shall we..."

Ron looked stunned that the twins were actually doing this. Hermione and Ginny looked about as worried as I felt. Harry was merely staring at them blankly. I couldn't believe that they had really done it. My stomach was churning with anticipation as I wondered if I could possibly refund their money if they ended up losing the bet. But that was a lot... Mr. Weasley looked on helplessly as Ludo Bagman whipped out a notebook and quill and began jotting down the twins' names. I shook my head at their forwardness.

"Cheers," George said.

No... This was not a good idea. There was no way that this was a good idea. This was just about one of the worst ideas that they had ever had. They had made such an odd bet too. Ireland would win but Krum would catch the Snitch. That was way too specific of a bet. George took the slip of parchment Bagman handed him with the information on the bet and tucked it away into the front of his robes. Bagman turned most cheerfully back to Mr. Weasley. I turned to the twins with a stern face.

"Are you two sure about that?" I asked worriedly.

"It'll work, Tara," George said.

"We promise," Fred added.

How could they have done this? They were smart! This was so stupid. "Please be careful. That's all of the money that you have in your savings. I can only help so much... this is my parents' money," I said quietly.

"We're not going to lose it," Fred said.

"We'll be making double," George added confidently.

In the meantime, Ludo Bagman was still speaking to Mr. Weasley. "Couldn't do me a brew, I suppose? I'm keeping an eye out for Barty Crouch. My Bulgarian opposite number's making difficulties, and I can't understand a word he's saying. Barty will be able to sort it out. He speaks about a hundred and fifty languages," Bagman said.

"Mr. Crouch?" Percy asked, suddenly abandoning his look of poker-stiff disapproval and positively writhing with excitement. "He speaks over two hundred! Mermish and Gobbledegook and Troll..."

"Anyone can speak Troll," Fred said dismissively. "All you have to do is point and grunt."

"He's got a point, you know," I said.

That was likely the reason that Professor Quirrell had once been able to control trolls - they were quite easy to handle. I smiled at the twins, still watching nervously as Bagman began jingling their coins around in his money purse. The twins didn't look the slightest bit bothered. Percy threw Fred an extremely nasty look and stoked the fire vigorously to bring the kettle back to the boil. Why had Mr. Weasley let the twins bet all of their money? I grabbed onto Fred's hand, who looked rather surprised to see my actions.

"Any news of Bertha Jorkins yet, Ludo?" Mr. Weasley asked as Bagman settled himself down on the grass beside us all.

"Not a dicky bird," Bagman said comfortably. "But she'll turn up. Poor old Bertha... memory like a leaky cauldron and no sense of direction. Lost, you take my word for it. She'll wander back into the office sometime in October, thinking it's still July."

"You don't think it might be time to send someone to look for her?" Mr. Weasley suggested tentatively as Percy handed Bagman his tea.

"Barty Crouch keeps saying that, but we really can't spare anyone at the moment," Bagman said, his round eyes widening innocently. "Oh - talk of the devil! Barty!"

Barty Crouch got along and worked with Ludo Bagman? That was rather surprising. He never seemed to like Ludo. Mostly because the two of them were very different people. Bagman was goofy while Crouch was uptight. Much to my surprise, a wizard had just Apparated at our fireside, and he could not have made more of a contrast with Ludo Bagman, sprawled on the grass in his old Wasp robes. Barty Crouch was a stiff, upright, elderly man, dressed in an impeccably crisp suit and tie. He looked as tense as ever. Maybe even a little sick.

The parting in his short gray hair was almost unnaturally straight, and his narrow toothbrush mustache looked as though he trimmed it using a slide rule. His shoes were very highly polished. Despite having met Mr. Crouch before, I could see at once why Percy idolized him. Percy was a great believer in rigidly following rules, and Mr. Crouch had complied with the rule about Muggle dressing so thoroughly that he could have passed for a bank manager; I doubted even Vermin would have spotted him for what he really was.

"Pull up a bit of grass, Barry," Ludo said brightly, patting the ground beside him.

"No thank you, Ludo," Crouch said, and there was a bit of impatience in his voice. "I've been looking for you everywhere. The Bulgarians are insisting we add another twelve seats to the Top Box."

"Oh is that what they're after? I thought the chap was asking to borrow a pair of tweezers. Bit of a strong accent," Bagman said.

"Mr. Crouch!" Percy said breathlessly, sunk into a kind of half bow that made him look like a hunchback. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Oh," Mr. Crouch said, looking over at Percy in mild surprise. "Yes - thank you, Weatherby."

Fred and George choked into their own cups. I released Fred's hand to hide my face in his shoulder. Almost instantly I raised my coffee cup to my face to keep myself from laughing even louder than I was. It was hysterical. I loved seeing Percy get knocked down a few pegs. He was always far too big-headed for my liking anyway. Percy, very pink around the ears, busied himself with the kettle. Fred and George looked like they were fighting tooth and nail to keep themselves from launching into a teasing fit with their older brother.

"Is he serious?" I asked the twins once I'd calmed down.

"Hope so," they both said.

"Oh and I've been wanting a word with you too, Arthur," Mr. Crouch said, his sharp eyes falling upon Mr. Weasley. "Ali Bashir's on the warpath. He wants a word with you about your embargo on flying carpets."

Mr. Weasley heaved a deep sigh. "I sent him an owl about that just last week. If I've told him once I've told him a hundred times: Carpets are defined as a Muggle Artifact by the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects, but will he listen?"

"I doubt it," Mr. Crouch said, accepting a cup from Percy. "He's desperate to export here."

"Well, they'll never replace brooms in Britain, will they?" Bagman asked.

"Ali thinks there's a niche in the market for a family vehicle. I remember my grandfather had an Axminster that could seat twelve - but that was before carpets were banned, of course," Mr. Crouch said.

Mr. Crouch spoke as though he wanted to leave nobody in any doubt that all his ancestors had abided strictly by the law. The conversation had already turned quite boring for me. I began snoring playfully at the table. Percy shot me a nasty scowl. Fred and George began laughing. As the adults continued speaking, I began showing Fred and George how to play rock-paper-scissors. It turned out that George was quite good at it. He beat Fred and me in almost every round that we played.

"So, been keeping busy, Barty?" Bagman asked breezily.

"Fairly. Organizing Portkey's across five continents is no mean feat, Ludo," Mr. Crouch said drearily.

"I expect you'll both be glad when this is over?" Mr. Weasley asked.

Ludo Bagman looked shocked. "Glad! Don't know when I've had more fun. Still, it's not as though we haven't got anything to look forward to, eh, Barty? Eh? Plenty left to organize, eh?"

Mr. Crouch raised his eyebrows at Bagman. "We agreed not to make the announcement until all the details -"

"Oh, details!" Bagman said loudly, waving the word away like a cloud of midges. "They've signed, haven't they? They've agreed, haven't they? I bet you anything these kids will know soon enough anyway. I mean, it's happening at Hogwarts -"

"Ludo, we need to meet the Bulgarians, you know," Mr. Crouch said sharply, cutting Bagman's remarks short. "Thank you for the tea, Weatherby."

It was slightly disappointing. By now I genuinely was curious to know what was going to be happening at Hogwarts this year. Especially if it meant that I couldn't play Quidditch this year. That would be disappointing. That was one of my favorite parts of the year. Mr. Crouch pushed his untouched tea back at Percy and waited for Ludo to rise; Bagman struggled to his feet, swigging down the last of his tea, the gold in his pockets chinking merrily. I swallowed a lump in my throat. There go the twins' savings...

"Know what that's about?" George asked me.

"Both Dad and Cedric mentioned something about it but they won't tell me. Whatever, apparently it's got nothing to do with Quidditch, so I don't really care," I said, trying to sound as careless as possible.

"Diggory knows?" Fred asked huffily.

"His dad works for the Ministry. Probably not top-secret over there," I said. The twins were glaring at me. "Oh, knock it off!"

"See you all later! You'll be up in the Top Box with me - I'm commentating!" Bagman cheered.

We were really going to have to sit up in the Top Box with him for hours on end? Potentially a few days, if the match went on that long... It was going to be a long Quidditch World Cup. I assumed that Dad was going to lose his mind having to be up there with Bagman. He had never liked him very much. Bagman smiled and waved, Barty Crouch nodded curtly, and both of them Disapparated. Everyone else at the table began glancing around at each other. I downed all of the coffee I had been drinking.

"What's happening at Hogwarts, Dad? What were they talking about?" Fred asked at once.

"You'll find out soon enough," Mr. Weasley said, smiling.

"It's classified information, until such time as the Ministry decides to release it. Mr. Crouch was quite right not to disclose it," Percy said stiffly.

"Oh shut up, Weatherby," Fred said.

George, Ron, and I snorted into our drinks. A sense of excitement rose like a palpable cloud over the campsite as the afternoon wore on. We spent most of our time playing Exploding Snap and talking about Quidditch. On a walk of our campsite, I found a pamphlet of the old games both Ireland and Bulgaria had won before the World Cup. We all spent a few hours watching them. We played Exploding Snap a number of times, lapped each other on races around the campsite, and used some of the brooms that our neighboring tents let us borrow to practice our own Quidditch.

By dusk, the excitement finally building to the brim, the still summer air itself seemed to be quivering with anticipation, and as darkness spread like a curtain over the thousands of waiting wizards, the last vestiges of pretense disappeared: the Ministry seemed to have bowed to the inevitable and stopped fighting the signs of blatant magic now breaking out everywhere. It was kind of cute. We all knew that they would eventually just give up on it. There were too many people who were far too excited for the World Cup.

Salesmen were Apparating every few feet, carrying trays and pushing carts full of extraordinary merchandise. There were luminous rosettes - green for Ireland, red for Bulgaria which were squealing the names of the players, pointed green hats bedecked with dancing shamrocks, Bulgarian scarves adorned with lions that really roared, flags from both countries that played their national anthems as they were waved; there were tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves.

"Been saving my pocket money all summer for this," Ron told Harry and me as the three of us and Hermione strolled through the salesmen, buying souvenirs.

There were a ton of things I wanted to buy sitting around here. But I only had so much money to spend and I couldn't buy everything. All I knew was that I wanted to buy something that told everyone that I was blatantly supporting the Irish. Or maybe something that read 'Krum sucks' just so that I could throw it in Ron's face. But I wanted something with the Irish spirit behind it. Something that was both funny and adorable. There were a lot of things that were cool but nothing stood out to me so far.

Perhaps something that I could wear... I hadn't bought clothes in a long time. I wandered through the racks, leaving Hermione behind me. Ron and Harry looked like they had gotten caught up in some trading cards that were a blatant ripoff of the trading cards that came with Chocolate Frogs. About ten minutes after we had started wandering through the merchants, Mom and Dad found me. I gave Mom a hug and Dad a smile as I went back to the booth of t-shirts. Mom was hanging over my shoulder.

"Find anything cute?" she asked.

"Looking around. Haven't gotten anything yet," I said.

"Sure there's going to be something," Dad said hopefully.

There had to be something. It was just a question on which one I wanted. I wandered back and forth for a little while longer with Mom directly behind me, complaining about how Dad would likely be in a much better mood once the World Cup was over. That was what I was hoping for. I finally managed to find a t-shirt in the back of the stands that read 'Kiss Me, I'm Irish' with a flying Irish Chaser beneath it. I laughed softly. That was the shirt that I wanted. I picked it up to buy it.

"That's actually rather funny," Mom said, grinning down at it.

"I thought so too," I said happily.

"Really?" Dad huffed, walking up behind me.

"You don't like it?" I asked curiously.

"Not particularly, Tara. No, I honestly don't really like it," Dad said.

I turned to the merchant. "How much?" I asked.

"Two sickles," he responded.

"I'll take it," I said, passing over two sickles.

Dad scowled as Mom laughed, covering it up as a cough and strolling away. "Really?" Dad asked.

"My money, right?" I asked. Dad merely stared at me. "I can do with it as I please. And I think that this is cute."

It was an added bonus that it made him mad. "You only bought that because you thought that it would make me mad," Dad said. I shook my head. "It's fine. Like you said, your money. I don't care what you waste it on."

"Alright. You won't mind if I go get changed into this and wear it to the match, then, will you?" I asked sweetly.

"Of course not," Dad said through clenched teeth.

Mom walked back up to us and grinned. "What am I ever going to do with the two of you?"

"Drive yourself insane," I answered.

"Very likely," she said.

We all laughed as I walked off. Dad would get over the shirt and I would enjoy it while I had it. I walked back over to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and slipped the t-shirt over my head and over my tank top as I walked. I was hoping to run into Cedric on the way to the Cup. I had a feeling he would get a good laugh out of it. When I caught up with the others, Hermione laughed at the shirt. As I had figured, Ron and Harry didn't like it in the slightest. I rolled my eyes and ignored them.

Though Ron purchased a dancing shamrock hat and a large green rosette, he also bought a small figure of Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker. I had always thought that the figurines of the players were a little creepy. But he had a crush on Krum so I figured that I would leave it alone for now. The miniature Krum walked backward and forward over Ron's hand, scowling up at the green rosette above him. I half-hoped that the figurine Krum might try and attack Ron for supporting Ireland.

"Wow, look at these!" Harry gasped, hurrying over to a cart piled high with what looked like brass binoculars, except that they were covered with all sorts of weird knobs and dials.

"Omnioculars," the sales wizard said eagerly. I perked up. I'd always wanted a pair. "You can replay action… slow everything down… and they flash up a play-by-play breakdown if you need it. Bargain - ten Galleons each."

"Wish I hadn't bought this now," Ron said glumly. gesturing at his dancing shamrock hat and gazing longingly at the Omnioculars.

"Four pairs," Harry said firmly to the wizard.

"No - don't bother," Ron said, going red.

Was he really planning on buying four pairs of Omnioculars? They were incredibly expensive. Just one pair was a lot of money. That was the main reason that Mom and Dad hadn't bought me them when I was a kid. Plus they had thought that there was a chance I would break them, which was a good point. As for Ron, he was always touchy about the fact that Harry, who had inherited a small fortune from his parents, had much more money than he did. It was even worse with my own family, considering that we were an incredibly wealthy family.

"I think not. I've got my own," I said, placing one of Harry's pairs back on the table.

"Want to split Hermione's?" Harry offered.

I shook my head again. "Oi! You two!" I called to the twins. They both turned back to me. "Buying anything?"

"We spent all of our money in the bet," Fred said sadly.

"Can't afford anything more," George mumbled.

"You get Ron and Hermione. I've got those two," I told Harry.

"That's sweet, Tara," Harry said.

"I'd feel bad if they walked away with nothing," I explained.

Just because they wanted to open their joke shop and take risks shouldn't mean that they couldn't have some fun too. "You won't be getting anything for Christmas," Harry told Ron, thrusting Omnioculars into his and Hermione's hands. I paid for my three. "For about ten years, mind."

"Fair enough," Ron said, grinning.

"Oh, thanks, Harry," Hermione said. "And I'll get us some programs, look -"

All of our money bags considerably lighter, we went back to the tents. In a matter of minutes, we would be on our way to the World Cup. By now I was jumping around with excitement. I couldn't wait to see it. Not to mention I wanted to ensure Fred and George won their money back. Bill, Charlie, and Ginny were all sporting green rosettes too, and Mr. Weasley was carrying an Irish flag. I grinned. All Irish supporters. Fred and George, as they had said, had no souvenirs as they had given Bagman all their gold.

Darting up to them, I fell into step with Fred. His eyes dropped to my shirt. "Ah," he said, grinning. "Can I take you up on that?"

"Shut up," I snapped, shoving into him. "Here. Take them."

I handed both Fred and George the Omnioculars. The twins both stared at me blankly for a moment. "Tara -" Fred started.

"You shouldn't have," George finished, looking embarrassed.

"It's fine. I don't mind. You two just looked so pathetic walking back here without anything," I said, waving them off.

"We'll pay you back," Fred promised.

"Don't worry about it," I said honestly. "But don't you dare keep losing money in bets."

"We're winning this one," George said hopefully.

"First thing we'll do it pay you back," Fred said.

"Just let me have whatever I want from the joke shop," I said.

They looked at each other before saying, "Deal."

If I wanted money, all I had to do was ask Mom or Dad. That was the easy part. What I really wanted was to get some of the jokes that Fred and George were going to sell at their joke shop. I had a feeling that they wouldn't charge me for whatever I wanted anyway since I had put in most of the money for the trial period. I would just have to slip some money into the register from time to time. Fred and George grinned at each other before launching onto me in a tackle hug, knocking all three of us to the ground.

"Get off of me!" I shouted at them.

"We love you, Tara!" they called together.

The two of them spent a long time ruffling my hair and sitting on top of me. It took Mr. Weasley yelling at them to leave me alone and help me back to my feet. The twins gave me loving hugs before walking me back toward the tents. We were almost all the way back when there was a deep, booming gong that had sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and at once, green and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the field. I exchanged an excited look with Harry.

"It's time!" Mr. said Weasley, looking as excited as any of us. "Come on, let's go!"

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _Tara, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley's enjoy the Quidditch World Cup and Tara catches the eye of someone very unexpected._ This chapter came out faster than I was expecting it to. Hope you all enjoyed it! Thanks for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Ghostie1701: Thank you! Tara's dad is definitely being a pain in the ass, but don't worry! He'll warm up eventually. Sirius and Remus would definitely have words with him if they could see the way that he was acting. Draco will return in the next chapter! Hope you liked this one!**

 **stephanielau: That's quite alright. I just enjoy reviews when I get them. I understand. My job definitely keeps me busy too. Thank you! I'm so looking forward to the Yule Ball chapter, but it'll take a little while before we get there. The romance will return in full swing soon enough!**

 **GreySkys: I'm sorry to hear about the asthma. I hope that it gets better soon enough! I'm so glad that my story has helped give you even a slight distraction. I always hope that my stories can help people escape reality for a little while. I'm so glad that you loved the last chapter! Marcus is being so strict because he remembers Sirius and James during his own days and doesn't want his daughter to be involved in relationships like that. Overprotective dad thing, you know? Usually Julia is the strict parent, so you're right about that one. He has faith in his daughter, he's just nervous. Julia is definitely more mature than Marcus and she has more trust that Tara knows when to stop things. Draco comes back in the next chapter so keep an eye out! There will definitely be a lot of tension between the two of them in this story. Tara's whole character is an embodiment of my personality literally all of the time lol. The tension was meant to be there so I'm glad that it came across! Tara will go to the Yule Ball, but I'm not giving away any more details than that. I'm hoping you'll enjoy it though! Thank you! Hope you liked this one!**

 **Son of Whitebeard:** **Hope you liked this one!**

 **PottersImpala67: Love the Pirates reference! Marcus does need to stop blowing holes in the ship! They'll still sneak around at Hogwarts, so we won't be completely missing that part of the story. Marcus will be at Hogwarts from time to time during the Tournament so Tara and Cedric will have to sneak around. Or perhaps Marcus will get used to them... Who's to say? But Marcus will warm up to them soon enough! The route will go similarly to the books, although parts of the movies and original content will be mixed in. Tara's reaction to Cedric being a champion might come as a surprise. I'm having a wonderful day, thanks! Hope you liked this one!**

 **Vincent FGS91: Hope you liked this one!**


	8. The Quidditch World Cup

Clutching our purchases, Mr. Weasley in the lead, we all hurried into the wood, following the lantern-lit trail. The twins were on my heels, still muttering their stupid thanks for the Omnioculars. I had to threaten them at least three times that I would cut out their tongues if they didn't stop thanking me. It was driving me nuts. It really wasn't that big of a deal, despite what they thought. Much to my excitement, I could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around us, shouts and laughter, along with snatches of singing.

The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious; I couldn't stop grinning. It had definitely been far too long since I had been to a Quidditch World Cup. We walked through the wood for twenty minutes, talking and joking loudly, harassing Ron about his crush on Krum, until at last we emerged on the other side and found ourselves in the shadow of a gigantic stadium. Though I could see only a fraction of the immense gold walls surrounding the field, I could tell that ten cathedrals would fit comfortably inside it.

My grin only widened. As we walked toward the entrance I managed to run into my friends from the States again - they had mid-level tickets. I waved them over, happy to see them again, and spent a bit of the walk introducing them to Ron and Hermione. They had already met Harry a few times. I had to shush them all to keep from asking where Cedric was. They looked rather confused about the entire thing but I had promised them that I would tell them what had happened in a letter. Otherwise, Ron and Hermione both seemed happy to meet my old friends.

Hermione had spent far too long asking them about the States and Ilvermorny. Ron had been far more interested to know if they had the same candy. I'd rolled my eyes at both of them. Once they had returned to me, I had been forced to explain my shirt all over again. As with Harry and Ron, the boys weren't happy to see it. I had ignored them. The girls had laughed about it, telling me to show it off to Cedric. I laughed and gave them all final hugs as we neared the entrance of the stadium. They were taking a different staircase.

Everyone was thrilled with being here. I liked seeing what an English Quidditch World Cup was like. While they had some similarities, they were vastly different. The American Quidditch World Cups were louder and larger. They usually had a lot more merchandise stands and tended to start during the day. Not to mention that they utilized a lot of Muggle technology in theirs. The Europeans tended to steer clear of Muggle technology. It was a different style than I was used to, but I enjoyed it all the same.

As we stomped up the stairs toward the Top Box - which was sure to take forever to actually get to - Mr. Weasley fell back into step with me. He quickly informed me that Mom and Dad were already at their seats in the Top Box, which I was immensely grateful for. I knew that they would be in a better mood once the game started and Dad was finally done with his stressful workload. Plus there was the fact that Cedric wasn't going to be around, which always seemed to make things a little bit better.

"Seats a hundred thousand," Mr. Weasley said, spotting the awestruck look on Harry's face. "Ministry task force of five hundred have been working on it all year. Tara's father was one of the main workers."

"Organized most of the World Cup this year. Saw to the ones back in the States, too," I explained.

"Muggle Repelling Charms on every inch of it. Every time Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they've suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away again… bless them," Mr. Weasley added fondly, leading the way toward the nearest entrance, which was already surrounded by a swarm of shouting witches and wizards.

"Prime seats!" the Ministry witch said at the entrance when she checked our tickets. "Top Box! Straight upstairs, Arthur, and as high as you can go."

My gaze shot up to the top of the stadium. "That's going to be a long trip," I groaned.

"Are those the best seats?" Hermione asked.

The one good thing about Quidditch World Cup seats was that they were all expensive, but they were all good. "All of the seats are good since the players will be both up and down throughout the game. They don't even have seats until the tenth level. But it's the best to be up top. That's where the boards are that'll show the instant replays," I explained to her.

"They have those?" Harry asked curiously, obviously having overheard our conversation.

It was the one time I had seen wizards in Europe use even moderately non-magical inventions. "Wizards aren't completely inept when it comes to non-magical things. They just think that they're more clever about it. The boards are just enchanted rather than letting them run on electricity," I said.

The entire thing was fascinating. It had been so long since I had been to a Quidditch World Cup - far too long, as a matter of fact. Our small party chatted away excitedly as we entered the stadium. The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in rich purple. The stadium in the States had bright marble floors. We clambered upward with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through a door into the stands to our left and right. My breaths were coming in short pants as we climbed up and up. I had never been a fan of stairs.

As we walked, I noticed just how many people were lingering around in the hour or so that remained until the game began. Even in the stands, people were moving back and forth to talk to everyone surrounding them. Dean and Seamus were heading for some mid-level seats a few floors above us. In fact, I recognized a lot of the people on the way up. The people all around us slowly began dissipating as we ascended the staircase. I slowly fell behind everyone else to take a longer look around, already well aware of where the Top Box would be.

A shadow fell behind me and I went to move to the side when they spoke. "That shirt an advertisement? If so, can I take you up on it?" a man with an Irish accent asked.

My gaze shot up. I could see Harry, Hermione, and all of the Weasley's ahead of me. Save Fred. I couldn't see him next to George. I scowled at his stupid trick. "Freddie," I snapped, "if you think a stupid fake Irish accent is going to trick me into saying yes -"

Whipping around to try and throw Fred down the stairs, I stopped dead in my tracks. It wasn't Fred who was speaking to me at all. Instead, Fred had actually gotten almost a full level ahead of us. The person who had been speaking to me was a young man, maybe a few years older than me. I stared at him in wonder for a moment. I'd really made an ass out of myself right now... The man standing in front of me was noticeably good-looking. He had short cropped blonde hair and brilliant green eyes. He was smiling at me. I swallowed a lump in my throat.

"You are not my friend," I said dumbly.

The man grinned again. "Perhaps we could change that."

"No - No. I'm sorry," I stuttered dumbly, shifting off to the side of the platform. I was vaguely aware that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had stopped walking to watch us. "It's just that my friend made a comment kind of like that earlier."

"Understandable," the man said.

"I'm Tara," I said, giving him my hand.

"Phil Troy," he greeted, shaking it.

A bright smile crossed my mouth. I knew exactly who he was. "Oh, you're on the Irish Quidditch Team!" I chirped excitedly. He nodded at me with a slight smile. My gaze turned down to his Quidditch robes, which I realized he was wearing... Quite the idiot I was being today... "Which I should have known, considering you're wearing their robes."

Why was I so awkward right now? Get over it, Tara! "And I see you're supporting us?" Phil asked, his eyes dropping to my shirt.

"Well, to tell the truth, I'd much rather be supporting the United States Stars," I said quietly.

Phil's eyebrow raised. "That so?"

"My dad would have a conniption if I didn't. I'm Tara Nox," I explained.

Phil's face brightened. "Marcus is your father."

"Yeah. Do you know him?"

Usually, when I said my surname, everyone automatically knew who I was. "Met him when he came back to the States for a practice a few years ago. I was still on the Reserve Team. I'd just finished homeschooling," Phil explained.

How old was he? He didn't look that much older than Cedric or the twins. I had a feeling that he was likely one of the youngest players in the league. Perhaps he was the same age as Krum. But that wasn't what struck me as odd. He had mentioned that he had been homeschooled. I hadn't seen someone having been homeschooled since before I had been enrolled at Hogwarts. He was Irish, so it meant that he would have gone to Hogwarts. Perhaps he would have even been there when I was in my First or Second Year.

"You never went to Hogwarts?" I asked curiously.

Phil shook his head. "No. I was always determined to get to be a professional Quidditch player one day. My parents told me that they would homeschool me to give me a chance to get to play," he explained.

"Looks like you got your wish," I said, looking around us.

"That I did. Get to meet some interesting people," Phil said, his eyes twinkling as he looked at me.

My face began burning. As I opened my mouth to try and say something witty (or just not completely moronic), Harry's voice cut through the air. "Tara! Come on! We're moving on!"

Nodding at them, I turned back to Phil. "Oh, I should get going," I said, motioning back to my friends. Phil nodded. "Don't want to get lost. Even though the Top Box should be sort of self-explanatory." As I continued stammering like a complete moron, Phil smiled at me. "I guess I'll uh -"

"I'll see you around," Phil put in.

"I'll be rooting for you." Phil chuckled under his breath. "Your team!" I gasped, remembering myself.

Phil laughed again. "Thank you. Perhaps I'll stop by after the game," Phil offered. I merely stared at him, wondering what I was supposed to say. "I'd like to see your father again."

"I'm sure he'd like that too," I said.

"You'll be there?" Phil asked.

"Yeah. We're staying at least the night so we'll be around. I'm sure we won't be that hard to find," I said.

"I'll keep an eye out then," Phil said.

"Good luck," I told him, walking back toward the stairs.

"Thank you, Tara. See you around," Phil said, his eyes twinkling.

My heart was beating much faster than I was comfortable with. As Phil Troy walked off, heading back toward what I assumed were the locker rooms for the Irish Team, I felt my face burning. Was I going insane or was there a chance that Phil Troy was flirting with me? I had never been that good at picking out when someone was flirting with me, so I was definitely confused. But I was pretty sure that he was. Even though Cedric definitely had my attention and affections, it was nice to have a few other people looking at me like that.

After we'd headed up another flight of stairs, Hermione fell into step with me. She grabbed my arm and pulled me into her. "What was that?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

Shrugging my shoulders, I tried to pull out of her grip. "Honestly, Mione, I don't know. His name is Phil Troy. He's one of the Chasers for the Irish National Quidditch Team. He made a joke about my shirt and then the two of us got to chatting," I said as simply as possible.

"He was flirting with you!" Hermione yelled.

"Don't be stupid," I snapped, blushing madly. "No, he wasn't."

"He was!" Hermione said loudly, giggling madly. I continued blushing. "He doesn't look that old."

"Said he'd just finished homeschooling. He's probably only eighteen or so. A lot of Quidditch players are young," I mumbled.

"He was kind of cute," Hermione mumbled.

Why was this the one time she wanted to have girl talk? I wanted to talk about Cedric, not Phil Troy. "Stop it!" I shouted, whacking her over the shoulder. "I have a boyfriend, thank you very much."

Hermione made something that sounded a little bit like a scoff. I headed past her. I wasn't sure what had just happened with Phil Troy. I had a good feeling that he was just curious to talk to me because of who Dad was. That was the only thing that made sense. Why else would he want to talk to me? Ginny started giggling as we walked, trying to convince me that Phil had thought that I was cute and was flirting with me. I merely grabbed her face and shoved her back toward her father. It only made her laugh even harder.

"Who was that?" Harry asked curiously.

"His name is Phil Troy. He's one of the Chasers for Ireland," I explained.

"What's he doing talking to you?" Ron asked bluntly.

As the twins laughed, I scowled. "Thanks, Ron," I snapped. He gave me a slightly guilty smile. "I don't know. He saw my shirt and commented on it. We got to chatting."

"First Diggory, now a professional Quidditch player?" Harry asked huffily.

My face began burning a brilliant red. "Would you stop?" I snapped at the three of them. Hermione giggled as Harry and Ron rolled their eyes. "He happens to know my father. The two of them met while he was still a reserve player and Dad was coming back to visit the Stars."

"Better not let Diggory see him," Ron said.

"We were just talking!" I barked.

Fred walked over to my side and threw an arm over my shoulder. "Since you're too daft to see it -"

"Thanks," I interrupted.

"- let me help you out. You're pretty, Tara," Fred said bluntly. I couldn't help it. My cheeks warmed at his statement. I was surprised at his honesty. "A lot of people see it. You just don't notice it."

Was I really that pretty? I had never really thought about it. I knew that I was dating Cedric but that hadn't really ever occurred to me. I had always just thought that I was funny and we had a lot in common. But that was stupid. Didn't I think that he was attractive? Of course. Those feelings had to have been reciprocated at some point. My blonde hair was nice, I supposed. I had pretty eyes. My skin was clear because of the potion I used. I was tanned from Quidditch practice. My body was strong from constantly training but I did have Mom's curves.

Maybe I was halfway decent looking. Or maybe I wasn't giving myself enough credit. Besides that, who else had noticed? "I'm not that pretty," I mumbled awkwardly, embarrassed with myself.

"Don't sell yourself short," Fred said.

There had to be a hidden joke in there at my expense. I narrowed my eyes. "You're just telling me that because you want me to buy you something else from the merchants," I snapped.

Fred's eyes darkened. "You don't believe that I could give you an honest compliment?"

"Well -"

"Just say thank you," he interrupted.

Maybe I had judged him too fast... "Thanks for calling me pretty," I muttered.

"You're welcome," Fred said tensely.

Judging by the look on his face, I had definitely called him out too quickly. He was trying to be nice to me and I was being an insecure ass. "While we're at it, you're rather handsome," I teased, grabbing his cheek.

"Duh," Fred scoffed.

"Prat," I snapped.

Fred merely grinned at me as we continued walking upstairs. He was such a pain. But I had meant what I'd said. Fred was a reasonably attractive guy. I had never been one for redheads, but it looked good on him... On the twins... I cleared my throat (and my mind) as we continued up and up. I huffed under my breath. I should have just brought the Firebolt and flown up to the top of the stadium... I loved heights, but I wished that we had elevators to get to the top. The game would already be underway by the time we got to our seats.

"Wizards really need to get behind the whole elevator thing," I groaned.

"Agreed," Harry and Hermione puffed.

"A what?" Ron asked.

"Honestly, sign up for Muggle Studies!" I barked at him.

Hermione let out a barking laugh that Ron glared at her for. He fell back beside me long enough to give me a rough shove into the bars. I laughed softly as we continued on. Glancing upwards, I saw that we were getting close to the top of the stadium. At least we were almost there... More and more people peeled off into the stands as we headed near the Top Box. I knew that only about twenty or so people were allowed in the Top Box at the match. It usually took a personal invitation from someone important - which we all had.

"Blimey Dad, how far up are we?" Ron asked Mr. Weasley.

"What part of Top Box is not self-explanatory to you?" I shot back.

Ron scowled at me again as I laughed. It wasn't my fault that he was so easy to get riled up. Fred and George whacked their brother over the head as they passed us again. As I glanced back down at the stairs, I realized that two of my least favorite people on the planet were about a level underneath us. Lucius Malfoy and his son, Draco, were staring up at us with displeased looks. Just behind them was Draco's mother, Narcissa Malfoy, who appeared to be desperately trying to ignore the entire thing.

"Well put it this way, if it rains... you'll be the first to know," Lucius Malfoy called up.

The Weasley's, Harry, Hermione, and I all stopped in our tracks. "Joy," I muttered, looking down at them.

"Father and I are in the minister's box, by personal invitation of Cornelius Fudge himself," Draco said gloatingly.

"So are -"

I jammed my elbow into Ron's chest to get him to stop talking. Ron grunted and took a step back. "Don't. Let it be a surprise," I said quietly.

As we all continued walking, the Malfoy's alongside us on the level below, Lucius jammed the butt of his cane into Draco's stomach. "Don't boast Draco. There's no need with these people." We all scowled at him as Harry wrapped an arm around Hermione and my shoulders, trying to push us away. Lucius Malfoy reached up and slammed the top of his cane over Harry's hand, holding him in place. "Do enjoy yourself, won't you? While you can."

"Creepy bastard," I hissed.

Lucius gave an eerie smile before releasing Harry's hand. He nodded for Draco and Narcissa to follow him as they walked off. I wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder and pulled him off. There was definitely something bad there but I didn't know for the life of me what it meant. Maybe it was just him being an asshole. Everyone nodded their agreement at my earlier statement as we continued walking. I fell back toward the twins, watching where the Malfoy's were still walking, heading up toward the level we were about to depart.

"How much trouble do you think I'd get in if I spat on him?" I whispered to the twins.

"Do it together and make a run for it?" Fred offered.

"Just punch him again. You've always been good at that," George suggested.

"I'll pay you thirty-seven Galleons to hit him again," Harry said.

"I'd do it for free," I responded.

We all grinned at each other. Mr. Weasley kept our party climbing, and at last, nearly thirty minutes after reaching the stadium, we reached the top of the staircase and found ourselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts. It was the perfect seat. A wicked smile took its spot o my face. About twenty purple-and-gilt chairs stood in two rows, and I filed into the front seats with the Weasley's, Harry, and Hermione, looking down upon a scene the likes of which I could never have imagined.

It was definitely different from the American Quidditch World Cup. "Come on up, take your seats. I told you these seats would be worth waiting for," Mr. Weasley called loudly to us.

We all moved into our seats. Fred and George hung at the bars, looking down over the field. "Come on!" George cheered loudly.

"Nice view," I chirped happily.

A hundred thousand witches and wizards were taking their places in the seats, which rose in levels around the long oval field. Balloons of green, white, black, and maroon were floating up in droves around us. Spotlights were shining all over the stadium and up into the stands. Everyone was laughing and cheering already, even over a half an hour before the game started. We were some of the only people who had actual chairs. Every other box was standing room only. I tried to look for Cedric, but it was far too hard to make anyone out.

All I could see was the clear separation from the white and green supporters of Ireland to the black and maroon supporters of Bulgaria. Everything was suffused with a mysterious golden light, which seemed to come from the stadium itself. The spotlights were only lighting the field even more, making it seem like it was daytime rather than nighttime. The field looked smooth as velvet from our lofty position. I let out a deep breath, wishing that the Quidditch Pitch at Hogwarts looked even a fraction like the one here.

At either end of the field stood three goal hoops, fifty feet high; right opposite us, almost at my eye level, was a gigantic blackboard. Just like the one back in the States. This one was enchanted, rather than using electricity. Gold writing kept dashing across it as though an invisible giant's hand were scrawling upon the blackboard and then wiping it off again. It was rather fascinating. I noticed that most of the people on our side of the stadium were entranced with it. Watching it closely, I saw that it was flashing advertisements across the field.

The Bluebottle: A Broom for All the Family safe, reliable, and with Built-in Anti-Burglar Buzzer… Mrs. Shower's All Purpose Magical Mess Remover: No Pain, No Stain!… Gladrags Wizardwear - London, Paris, Hogsmeade…

The last one was one of the stores that I had been dragged into by Mom during my first trip to Diagon Alley. That was one of the last times I had ever been in there. She had to physically drag me back into the place where I had met Draco Malfoy. I turned to the side and noticed that there were two seats left open for Mom and Dad. Their things were already there but they were nowhere to be found. I assumed that they must have run into someone that they wanted to speak to. Harry, who was on my other side, nudged me to get my attention.

"Is it like the American Quidditch World Cup?" Harry asked.

"A little more old-fashioned. American wizards kind of try to keep with the Muggle times. Even Purebloods know about Muggle devices. We love them. We usually just put a little magical spin on them," I explained.

"American wizarding sounds fascinating," Hermione said from a few seats down.

"It is," I told her.

"I'd love to see it one day," she said.

"Come with us next summer," I offered.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Really?"

It wasn't really up to me to invite her, but I had a feeling that my parents wouldn't mind. They loved her. They thought that she was a great influence. And they'd never had a problem with Harry coming, so I was sure that Hermione wouldn't be an issue. At that moment, I glanced up and saw that Mom and Dad were coming back to their seats. I smiled and walked over to them, giving them each hugs. Dad looked as excited as I had ever seen him. I listened to him talk about Bulgaria and Ireland's teams for a moment before speaking over him.

"Can Hermione come to the States with us next summer?" I asked.

Dad's voice dropped off as he exchanged a look with Mom. The two of them shrugged. "Sure," Mom said carelessly.

Hermione gasped. "Thank you!"

"You'll love it, Hermione," Mom said, getting up and walking over to chat with Hermione. "The Magical Congress..."

Their voices trailed off as I looked around. The last thing that I wanted was to listen to them chattering away about the magical world in the States. It was kind of interesting, but I knew all of those stories. I didn't care about them anymore. But I knew that they would fascinate Hermione. I turned back to the stadium and scanned the audience. There seemed to be just a slightly larger amount of Irish supporters than there were Bulgarian. I grinned. The Irish had always had a lot more supporters because of their personalities.

"Tara," Harry muttered, pinching my arm.

"Ow!" I gasped, covering my arm. I whipped back to Harry, annoyed. "What?"

"Look over there," he said.

What was so fascinating that he had to physically injure me? Still aggravated with him, I tore my eyes away from the sign and looked over my shoulder to see who else was sharing the box with us. So far it was empty, except for a tiny creature sitting in the second from last seat at the end of the row behind them. The creature, whose legs were so short they stuck out in front of it on the chair, was wearing a tea towel draped like a toga, and it had its face hidden in its hands. Yet those long, bat-like ears were oddly familiar... Now I understood what Harry wanted to talk to me about.

"Is that -?"

"Dobby?" Harry interrupted me incredulously.

No way. If it was Dobby, he would have already looked at us and he would have been talking a mile a minute. The tiny creature looked up and stretched its fingers, revealing enormous brown eyes and a nose the exact size and shape of a large tomato. It wasn't Dobby - it was, however, unmistakably a house-elf, as Harry's and my friend Dobby had been. But Dobby had bright green eyes. This was simply another one. Still enslaved, it seemed, considering the pillowcase it was wearing. Harry had set Dobby free from his old owners, the Malfoy family in our Second Year.

"Did sir just call me Dobby?" the elf squeaked curiously from between its fingers.

"They all look kind of similar..." I muttered to Harry.

Usually, the eye color and ear size was the only thing that could distinguish the elves from each other. This one's voice was higher even than Dobby's had been, a teeny, quivering squeak of a voice, and I suspected - though it was very hard to tell with a house-elf - that this one might just be female. Ron and Hermione spun around in their seats to look. Though they had heard a lot about Dobby from Harry and me, they had never actually met him. Even Mr. Weasley looked around in interest. I assumed that none of them had ever met a house-elf.

"We're sorry. Mistaken identity," I told the elf as politely as possible.

"Sorry. We just thought you were someone we knew," Harry added.

"But I knows Dobby too, sir, miss!" the elf squeaked.

"Do you?" I asked curiously.

Every now and again I did wonder what had happened to Dobby. The female house-elf was shielding her face, as though blinded by the light, though the Top Box was not brightly lit. "My name is Winky, sir, miss - and you, sir -" Her dark brown eyes widened to the size of side plates as they rested upon Harry's scar. "You is surely Harry Potter!"

"Yeah, I am," Harry said.

Winky turned her big brown eyes onto me. I gave her a slight smile. "Which means you, miss, must be Tara Nox!" Winky said happily.

"That's me," I said.

How did people always know who I was? I supposed that it didn't matter. "But Dobby talks of you two all the time, sir, miss!" Winky said, lowering her hands very slightly and looking awestruck.

"Oh, that's sweet of him," I said happily.

"How is he? How's freedom suiting him?" Harry asked.

"Ah, sir, ah sir, meaning no disrespect, sir, but I is not sure you did Dobby a favor, sir, when you is setting him free," Winky said, shaking her head.

Harry stared at me. I shrugged my shoulders. "Why? What's wrong with him?" Harry asked, taken aback.

"Freedom is going to Dobby's head, sir. Ideas above his station, sir. Can't get another position, sir," Winky said sadly.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

For a moment I felt like a complete fool. We had freed Dobby without thinking about where he could go next... Winky lowered her voice by a half-octave and whispered, "He is wanting paying for his work, sir."

"Paying? Well - why shouldn't he be paid?" Harry asked blankly.

Placing my hand on Harry's arm, I pulled him over to me and away from Winky. "Harry, remember, house-elves are slaves. They don't get paid for their work. Usually living in their master's homes and getting free food is their payment," I explained quietly.

"What?" Harry asked me stupidly.

As I let him work out what was going on, I turned back to Winky. "But it's good that Dobby's trying to break barriers!" I told her happily.

Winky looked quite horrified at the idea and closed her fingers slightly so that her face was half-hidden again. "House-elves is not paid, sir!" Winky said in a muffled squeak. "Not those barriers, miss!"

"You never know what can happen unless you try," I said quietly.

"No, no, no. I says to Dobby, I says, go find yourself a nice family and settle down, Dobby. He is getting up to all sorts of hijinks, sir, miss, what is unbecoming to a house-elf. You goes racketing around like this, Dobby, I says, and next thing I hear you's up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, like some common goblin," Winky told us.

"Doubt they'll have that much concern over him. He's a newly-freed house-elf," I mumbled.

"Well, it's about time he had a bit of fun," Harry said.

"House-elves is not supposed to have fun, Harry Potter. House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Harry Potter," Winky said firmly, from behind her hands. She must have really hated it all the way up here, then. She glanced toward the edge of the box and gulped, "But my master sends me to the Top Box and I comes, sir."

"Why's he sent you up here, if he knows you don't like heights?" Harry asked, frowning.

"Master - master wants me to save him a seat, Harry Potter. He is very busy," Winky said, tilting her head toward the empty space beside her.

"That seems kind of lousy to do to someone," I put in.

"Oh, no, Tara Nox. Winky is wishing she is back in master's tent, Harry Potter, but Winky does what she is told. Winky is a good house-elf," Winky explained.

If it were up to me, I would free all of the house-elves. Maybe not necessarily free them. But at least make sure that they were paid and given fair treatment. It was things like this that weren't fair. Winky should have been allowed to stay in her master's tent seeing as she was afraid of heights. I thought about saying something else to her, but she didn't seem willing to talk to us anymore. Winky gave the edge of the box another frightened look and hid her eyes completely again. Harry and I turned back to the others.

"So that's a house-elf? Weird things, aren't they?" Ron muttered.

"Dobby was weirder," Harry said fervently.

"It's true. She just seems a little antsy," I said.

"She's scared of heights," Harry explained.

Staring back at Winky, I couldn't help but hope that her owner would come here. I wanted to know who was cruel enough to bring her all the way up here. "Wonder who her owner is?" I asked quietly.

"Don't know," Harry said.

It would have been curious to know who her owner was. Hopefully, he or she would be back here soon enough. I looked at Mom and Dad to ask them who her owner was, but neither one of them were paying attention. Mom was still chatting with Hermione about the Magical Congress while Dad was talking to Fred and George about his time on the Stars. Ron pulled out his Omnioculars and started testing them, staring down into the crowd on the other side of the stadium. I moved the dial on my own paid to half speed.

"Wild!" Ron gasped, twiddling the replay knob on the side. "I can make that old bloke down there pick his nose again… and again… and again…"

"You're disgusting, Ron," I snapped. I stared down at the field for a few minutes before glancing up at Dad. He was chatting away with an Irish man about the game. "Hey, Dad, do you know Phil Troy?"

He glanced over and thought for a moment. "Phil... yeah, I met him a few years ago. Good young kid. Good player. I hear he's on the team this year. I'll have to go and say hello," Dad said thoughtfully. "Why?"

"Ran into him on the stairs. I guess their locker rooms are nearby," I said.

"How's he doing?" Dad asked.

"Seems good. Ready for the game," I said.

Dad stared at me for a moment before asking, "How'd he know who you were?"

"I don't think he did. He just started talking to me," I explained.

He definitely wasn't going to know the real reason I'd drawn his attention. Much to my irritation, Fred and George began laughing. Dad shot me a sharp glare, realizing why they were laughing. "I hate that damn shirt," he growled.

"It's just a joke," I mumbled, sending Fred and George a sharp glare.

"I'll take Troy over Diggory," Dad huffed.

"Why's that?" I asked curiously.

"He's a legal adult. I can kill him and not get in trouble for it."

Much to my surprise, I started laughing. Even Dad cracked somewhat of a grin. Mom glanced over, smiled at us for a brief moment, and then rolled her eyes. We had always driven her insane. But I was in a surprisingly good mood, even around my parents. Maybe there was a chance that this whole thing was turning into more of a joke than anything else. That was what I was hoping for. This was something that we could look back on and laugh at. As I gave Dad a small smile, I glanced around and settled back in my chair.

We were just over half an hour out from the commencement of the game and I couldn't wait. Everyone seemed to be shifting around in their seats excitedly. Both sides of the stadium were cheering for both Ireland and Bulgaria, even long before the players made their way out to the field. Fred and George were chatting about the game with Ginny. Harry and Ron were looking through their Omnioculars curiously. Hermione, meanwhile, was skimming eagerly through her velvet-covered, tasseled program.

"'A display from the team mascots will precede the match,'" she read aloud.

"Oh, that's always worth watching. National teams bring creatures from their native land, you know, to put on a bit of a show," Mr. Weasley explained.

"Ireland is going to have leprechauns. They always do," I told the others.

"Bad sports. Fun to watch," Dad put in.

The Irish weren't good when they lost. But they were fun to watch when they won. "What are Bulgaria's?" I asked curiously.

Dad thought about it for a moment before saying, "Not quite sure."

A bunch of grouchy old men? I snorted at the thought, grateful that no one was watching me. The box filled gradually around us over the next half hour. Mr. Weasley kept shaking hands with people who were obviously very important wizards. Percy jumped to his feet so often that he looked as though he were trying to sit on a hedgehog. When Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself, arrived, Percy bowed so low that his glasses fell off and shattered. We all laughed. Fudge greeted everyone in the box before turning to my own family.

He shook hands with Mom and Dad before turning to me. I smiled. "Hi, Mr. Fudge," I said.

"Tara, my dear," Mr. Fudge greeted, grabbing my hand like I was an old friend. "How are you?"

"Good. Ready to see the game!" I said excitedly.

Fudge's eyes dropped down to my shirt. "Rooting for Ireland, I see?"

"No Stars in the tournament this year, so Ireland it is."

"Better luck next year," Fudge said, grinning at the put-out luck on Dad's face. "Perhaps one day you can join just like your dad did and whip them into shape."

"Not a bad idea, Mr. Fudge," I said sweetly.

Percy shot me a jealous look, likely having been unaware of just how close our families were. Highly embarrassed, Percy repaired his broken glasses with his wand and thereafter remained in his seat, throwing jealous looks at Harry and me, whom Cornelius Fudge had greeted like two old friends. Fudge had met both Harry and me a few times before, and Fudge shook Harry's hand in a fatherly fashion, asked how he was, and introduced him to the wizards on either side of him. Fudge had always liked Harry a lot - probably because he thought that he had 'claims' on the Boy Who Lived...

"Harry Potter, you know," Fudge told the Bulgarian minister loudly, who was wearing splendid robes of black velvet trimmed with gold and didn't seem to understand a word of English. "Harry Potter… oh come on now, you know who he is… the boy who survived You-Know-Who… you do know who he is -"

It appeared that Fudge had been forced to speak with the assistance of sign language all day to communicate with him - which was rather comical, seeing as Fudge clearly understood very little of how sign language actually worked. Harry appeared quite awkward as the two of them motioned back and forth to him. The Bulgarian wizard suddenly spotted Harry's scar and started gabbling loudly and excitedly, pointing at it. I snorted, driving my head into Harry's shoulder. He didn't look like he knew whether he should shake his hand or just continue trying to avoid eye contact.

But something about the entire thing struck me as funny. "Don't most Ministers speak English?" I asked no one in particular.

"Apparently not that one," Crouch said grumpily.

"Right..." I mumbled.

"Knew we'd get there in the end," Fudge said wearily to Harry. "I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Barty Crouch for this sort of thing. Ah, I see his house-elf's saving him a seat... Good job too, these Bulgarian blighters have been trying to cadge all the best places… ah, and here's Lucius!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned quickly. I glanced over a little bit slower. I knew that Malfoy would be furious to see us up here. A mad grin spread over my face as I met eyes with the Malfoy family. Edging along the second row to three still-empty seats right behind Mr. Weasley were none other than Dobby the house-elf's former owners: Lucius Malfoy; his son, Draco; and Draco's mother, Narcissa Malfoy. I had only met her once before. It was a little strange to see her here. I hadn't thought that she was even fond of Quidditch.

Harry and Draco Malfoy had been enemies ever since their very first journey to Hogwarts. Even though I had started off as quasi-friends with Draco, I had ended up hating him after seeing the way that he treated Harry. A pale boy with a pointed face and white-blond hair, Draco greatly resembled his father. His mother was blonde too; tall and slim, she would have been nice-looking if she hadn't been wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose. Their entire family had an air of superiority surrounding them.

They gazed around the box for a moment before landing on our large group. Mr. Malfoy looked absolutely furious to see that we were here. He likely hated even thinking that he was somewhere that Mr. Weasley could also get into. Mrs. Malfoy looked as though she couldn't have cared less. But I did notice her send a sharp glare at Mom. Clearly, there was a lot of hatred between the two of them. Draco glanced over at us with a look of absolute loathing. I let a large grin spread over my face as I waved at him.

"Oh, did I forget to mention? We're also here at the personal invitation. My father organized most of this event, you know? Not to mention that the rest of us are here at the personal invitation of Ludo Bagman," I told him sweetly.

"Pity seats," Malfoy sneered.

Turning around us, I grinned again. Everyone in our group was happily chatting with others. The Malfoy's were standing grumpily in the corner. "I notice no one's spoken to you yet. They seem quite happy to have us around," I said curiously.

Malfoy stepped forward irritably, looking like he was about to punch me. "You little -"

"Ah, Fudge," Mr. Malfoy said, interrupting our pissing match, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of Magic.

Malfoy was stopped dead in his tracks a few feet away from me. "Behave," I chided playfully. Malfoy's eyes narrowed into slits as Harry and Ron grinned. "Wouldn't want to make daddy mad, would you?"

"How are you?" Mr. Malfoy asked Fudge, once again distracting our conversation. "I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?"

"How do you do, how do you do?" Fudge asked, smiling and bowing to Mrs. Malfoy. He did the same with Draco. "And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk - Obalonsk - Mr. - well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind. And let's see who else - you know Arthur Weasley and Marcus and Julia Nox, I daresay?"

It was a tense moment. Had things been a little different, I would have laughed. They all looked furious to see each other. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy, and my own father looked at each other and I vividly recalled the last time two of them had come face-to-face: It had been in Flourish and Blotts' bookshop, and they had had a fight. As far as I knew, Dad and Mr. Malfoy regularly found themselves in verbal altercations. Mom and Narcissa Malfoy had hated each other since their Hogwarts days. Mr. Malfoy's cold gray eyes swept over Mr. Weasley and Dad, and then up and down the row.

"Narcissa," Mom greeted coldly.

"Julia," Mr. Malfoy responded just as tersely.

"Good evening, Marcus," Mr. Malfoy said stiffly.

"Evening, Lucius," Dad said as if the very words were choking him.

"Good lord, Arthur. What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?" Lucius Malfoy asked softly. His gaze then turned to Dad. "Or perhaps a little charity."

Mr. Weasley stiffened slightly. "At least no one else had to bully their way into the Top Box," I mumbled, loudly enough for Mr. Malfoy to hear me.

"Tara," Dad chided, looking amused anyway.

Fudge, who wasn't listening to the tense conversation, said, "Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest."

"Or bribery," I added quietly.

"Tara," Dad snapped again, still grinning.

"How - how nice," Mr. Weasley said, with a very strained smile.

The Malfoy's were some of the most disgusting kinds of Purebloods around. They were the kinds that made everyone else think that we were all pompous assholes. I noticed that Mr. Malfoy's eyes had returned to Hermione, who went slightly pink but stared determinedly back at him. I was proud of her for not bending to one of the most intimidating wizarding patriarchs. Besides, I knew exactly what was making Mr. Malfoy's lip curl like that. The Malfoy's prided themselves on being Purebloods; in other words, they considered anyone of Muggle descent, like Hermione, second-class.

Malfoy had called her cruel names enough times to demonstrate their slightest disdain for anyone but the Sacred Twenty-Nine (save my own family and the Weasley's, whom they considered blood traitors). It was a good thing that, under the gaze of the Minister of Magic, Mr. Malfoy didn't dare say anything. He would have to act like none of this bothered him. Mr. Malfoy nodded sneeringly to Mr. Weasley and my parents and continued down the line to his seats. Draco shot Harry, Ron, Hermione, and me one contemptuous look, then settled himself between his mother and father.

"Slimy gits," Ron muttered as he, Harry, and Hermione turned to face the field again.

In the meantime, I stood from my chair. "Where are you going?" Dad asked.

"Bathroom. Don't want to miss any of the match," I explained.

It was needless to say that I would be pissed if I missed any of the match because of my small bladder. "Hurry up. Game's starting soon, I think," Dad said, nodding thoughtfully.

"Be right back," I called to the others.

They all called back their goodbyes to me as I stood from my chair and brushed past the others in the box. I thought about kicking the Malfoy's as I headed back past their row but decided against making a scene. Instead, I merely headed out with only a sharp glare sent in their direction. The bathroom was just on the other side of the Top Box. It was a short walk for us, thankfully. As I closed in on the entrance to the bathroom I realized, much to my displeasure, that Draco Malfoy was following close behind me.

He looked like he was trying to catch up with me. "I can't even go to the bathroom without you stalking me?" I snapped, whipping around to him.

Malfoy grinned, strolling up behind me. "Relax, Nox. Just using the restroom before the game."

"Convenient timing," I huffed.

There was no way. The only reason that he had followed me was that he wanted to mess with me. That was the only time he ever was in the same place as me. Just because he wanted to make me angry. There was a good chance that he had something nasty to tell me. Likely about my relationship with Cedric. That was usually his favorite thing to mess with me about. I tried to dart off into the bathroom, but Malfoy had much longer legs than I did. He stepped in front of me and crossed his arms teasingly. I narrowed my eyes.

"How are things with Diggory?" Malfoy asked slowly.

Him asking about my relationship was baffling enough. "What?" I asked, surprised.

"Just being friendly," Malfoy said, shrugging.

"We are not friends," I snapped.

We hadn't been friends since that day on the Hogwarts Express before First Year when I'd found out the kind of person he really was. "No. Of course, we're not," Malfoy agreed.

Why was he even bothering talking to me if he had admitted that we weren't friends? Malfoy had never made any sense to me and likely would never make any sense. One minute he acted like things were fine between the two of us and I would have momentary faith that things might actually work out and we could be friends. But then something would happen and we would be right back to square one. I stood with my arms crossed over my chest, glancing anywhere but at Malfoy, searching for something snarky to say.

Instead, what came out was, "Where's Parkinson?"

"Not at the game," Malfoy explained. I nodded vaguely. "Jealous?"

"You wish," I snapped. Malfoy merely scowled at me. I wished that I'd run into Cedric, not him. "As you see, I'm still perfectly happy with Cedric. He's just in his seats with his father."

Malfoy's pale eyes glittered slightly. "He notice that he has competition?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, rolling my eyes. There was literally no competition for Cedric. I liked only him. I had plenty of male friends, but everything was platonic. We both knew that. That was when I realized that Malfoy had likely overheard or perhaps seen a bit of my conversation with Phil. Or perhaps the discussion with my father. "For the last time, Phil Troy was just teasing me because of my shirt. There was nothing more."

Malfoy's gaze dropped to my shirt. I scowled at him as he grinned sleazily at me. "That is a nice shirt," he said slowly. "And not what I was talking about."

Any nasty retort I had died on my tongue. If he wasn't talking about Phil Troy and the shirt, what did he mean? "What were you talking about?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound stupid.

Malfoy laughed. "Clueless, Nox."

No one else liked me... Did they? "Who are you talking about?" I asked sharply. Malfoy merely continued laughing. "Yourself?"

Malfoy's grin almost immediately dropped off of his face. We had been in that tense relationship for far too long. Ron had even once asked if it was possible that Malfoy could have liked me. I had instantly shot down the possibility. Just because he had saved me from a falling glass jar in Second Year didn't mean that he liked me. But now it seemed like it might have made just the slightest bit of sense. Why else would he have been so invested in my relationship? And, if not referring to Phil Troy, who else could have liked me?

"Don't flatter yourself. I hate you," Malfoy hissed bitterly.

"That so?" I asked. Malfoy nodded. "Because you still seem oddly concerned about my relationship with Cedric. Not only that, but you now seem concerned that someone else might like me."

His eyes narrowed into little slits, as they always did when I teased him and he couldn't think of a comeback. "Oh, I can't wait to see your relationship with Diggory crash and burn," Malfoy said.

He usually wound up attacking my relationship with Cedric. It was nothing new. "You really are jealous. That's cute, Malfoy," I said happily. If he really did like me, I would never let him forget it. Malfoy scowled nastily. "Who can blame you? It was only a matter of time before you fell for me."

"Tara."

For a second, I stared at Malfoy. That didn't sound quite right... and I hadn't even seen his mouth move. That was when I realized that it wasn't Malfoy who had just spoken. I turned back to see Cedric standing just a few feet behind the two of us. My face instantly turned beet red. Had he overheard our conversation? I hoped not. He had to know that I was just messing with Malfoy and that there was nothing there. Judging by the smile on his face, I assumed he hadn't. I brushed past Malfoy - who was still scowling at me - and walked up to Cedric.

"Hey," Cedric said, wrapping an arm around my back. "Didn't think you were this high up."

"Top Box, actually," I explained proudly. Cedric smiled. "Where are you?"

"A few boxes down," Cedric explained. His gaze turned to Malfoy and dropped. He forced himself to give a slight smile. "Draco."

"Diggory," Malfoy replied.

Neither one of the boys looked thrilled to see each other. I still didn't know why Malfoy hated Cedric as much as he did unless it really was because he liked me. But I mostly doubted that. He hated me too much. He just hated seeing me happy. That must have been it. I grinned playfully at Cedric and walked over to him, leaning up and planting a kiss against his mouth. He grinned and wrapped an arm around my lower back. As I cracked an eye, I noticed Malfoy huff and walk off. I remained locked with Cedric for a little while before we finally released each other. I didn't step away from him.

"I should come to sneak out to the bathroom more often," Cedric teased.

I laughed softly, nudging his chest. "I'd offer you to meet me in the middle of the game but I actually really don't want to miss any of it," I said honestly. Cedric nodded his agreement. "I was just heading to the bathroom beforehand."

"I'd hate to hold you up then. Still on for midnight?" Cedric asked.

"Still on. I'll meet you by the merchants. They'll be celebrating into the morning," I said carelessly.

"Deal." We were about to go our separate ways when he glanced down at my torso. "Cute shirt, by the way."

"Glad you like it." A small grin turned up on my lips as I planted my hands on my hips. "Care to take me up on it?" I asked teasingly.

"Oh, it would be my genuine pleasure," Cedric said, grinning.

His lips were tilted up in a brilliant grin. The one that I had become so fond of. Cedric's hands dropped from the middle of my back to the very bottom, his fingertips brushing against my waist. I laughed slightly as he leaned into me and pressed another long kiss against my lips. My arms wrapped up over his shoulders to pull him directly into me. I was about to push him back into the shadows - for a slightly longer bonding session - when I noticed a few shadows moving around in the Top Box.

Suddenly I pulled back from Cedric. The last thing I needed was to get caught with him again. Cedric arched a brow curiously, wondering what was wrong. "My parents are right there, though, so we'll save this for later," I teased, patting him on the chest. "See you after the match!"

"See you in a few hours," Cedric laughed.

Or a week, depending on how long the match went on. If it went on for more than a night, they would continue swapping out players. The audience would force themselves to stay awake. It was always fascinating to see how long we could all stay awake. I quickly darted into the bathroom - which I had to make fast after the interruptions from Malfoy and Cedric - and immediately ran back into the box, taking my seat again. Dad asked what had taken me so long, but I never got the chance to answer, which was likely a good thing.

Because the next moment, Ludo Bagman charged into the box. "Everyone ready?" Ludo asked, his round face gleaming like a great, excited Edam. "Minister - ready to go?"

"Ready when you are, Ludo," Fudge said comfortably.

Ludo whipped out his wand, directed it at his own throat, and said "Sonorus!"

They didn't even get to use a microphone? Wizards really could be completely useless... At least in the States, we were allowed and encouraged to use Muggle electronics. I rolled my eyes at Ludo and leaned back in my chair a little bit. This was the moment I had been looking forward to all summer. The beginning of the Quidditch World Cup. Ludo cleared his throat and then spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoed over everyone, booming into every corner of the stands.

"Ladies and gentlemen… welcome! Welcome to the finals of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"

The spectators screamed and clapped. I did the same, hopping from my seat to cheer madly for a few seconds. We would be spending most of the match standing, anyway. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket. The huge blackboard opposite us was wiped clean of its last message (Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans - A Risk With Every Mouthful!) and now showed BULGARIA: 0, IRELAND: 0. Malfoy was sitting behind me, glaring now that I was standing in his way. I grinned and straightened up again.

"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce… the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!" Ludo continued.

The right-hand side of the stands, which was a solid block of scarlet, roared its approval. I cheered a little bit too. While I was still rooting for Ireland - who were overall better players and more entertaining to watch - I did also like Bulgaria. Krum was definitely a good Seeker. In fact, he was one of the best in the league. Not to mention he was still a teenager. There was a loud song playing over the stadium. It was slightly angry-sounding, which matched the tenseness that the Bulgarian players always seemed to embody.

"I wonder what they've brought," Mr. Weasley said thoughtfully, leaning forward in his seat.

"No way," I groaned, spotting their mascots.

"Ah!" Mr. Weasley gasped.

He suddenly whipped off his glasses and polished them hurriedly on his robes. I rolled my eyes again. Who used those as mascots? "Are those seriously -" I started, before getting cut off.

"Veela!" Mr. Weasley called.

"What are Veel -?"

Harry never got a chance to finish. A hundred Veela were now gliding out onto the field, and his question was answered for him. Veela were women who used their beauty to lure men to them. They were easily some of the most beautiful women I had ever seen, much to my displeasure. They were as beautiful as everyone had always claimed they were. I wished that they weren't. I had always hated the idea of Veela. Before today, I had only ever seen pictures of them. The thing about Veela was that they weren't completely human.

As I glanced over to the others, I could see that they were quite puzzled by the mystery of the Veela. The adults, Ginny, and Hermione seemed to be the only ones who remained mostly unaffected. I laughed at Hermione's bewildered expression over the boys' reactions. She had always hated girls who relied on looks. The Veela's skin shone moon-bright and their white-gold hair fanned out behind them without wind. Then their music started. The boys looked like they were in love. A bitter thought in the back of my mind wondered how Cedric was reacting to them.

The Veela had started to dance to their music. I glanced over at Harry and rolled my eyes. He was reacting like almost every other man and boy in the stadium. His mind had clearly gone completely and blissfully blank. That was the way the Veela worked. It was almost pathetic. But it was more dangerous than anything else. They had made men kill themselves trying to impress them before. The last Dad had told me was that it just mattered to men that heard Veela sing that they kept watching the Veela because they felt if they stopped dancing, terrible things would happen.

It must have been quite something to feel. As far as I was concerned, it was pathetic and annoying. As the Veela danced faster and faster, wild, half-formed thoughts appeared to be chasing through Harry and Ron's dazed minds. They both looked like they were about to do something to get themselves killed. They both looked as though they wanted to do something very impressive, right now. Harry was beginning to climb up onto his chair, as was Ron. Were they planning on jumping from the box into the stadium? I rolled my eyes again.

"What's happening?" Hermione asked, noticing that I also remained unaffected.

"Veela hold trances over men. They tend to do stupid and dangerous things to try and call their attention. They're kind of like sirens in that sense," I explained to her over the music.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Pathetic."

"Should we let them keep on it?" I asked.

She stared at them for a moment before shaking her head. "Probably not. Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked.

It appeared that she had pulled Harry out of his trance. He looked absolutely shocked. It was pretty obvious that he had forgotten where he was. The music that caused the Veela trance had stopped. Harry blinked. Hermione stared at me as if to ask if they were serious. I nodded at her. Harry was standing up, and one of his legs was resting on the wall of the box. Next to him, Ron was frozen in an attitude that looked as though he were about to dive from a springboard. All around the stadium, young men were in similar positions.

"You two morons feeling alright?" I asked them.

Both Ron and Harry looked stunned. Angry yells were filling the stadium. The crowd didn't want the Veela to go. The women all seemed thrilled to see them go. Harry was with the men who wanted them to stay. I could see it in his eyes. The trance the Veela had put over them. He would, of course, be supporting Bulgaria. He seemed to be wondering vaguely why he had a large green shamrock pinned to his chest. Ron, meanwhile, was absentmindedly shredding the shamrocks on his hat. Mr. Weasley, smiling slightly, leaned over to Ron and tugged the hat out of his hands.

"You'll be wanting that once Ireland have had their say," Mr. Weasley told his son.

"Huh?" Ron asked, staring open-mouthed at the Veela, who had now lined up along one side of the field.

Hermione made a loud tutting noise. I laughed at her. She looked disgusted with the simple fact that the men were so easily able to be distracted by the Veela. But that was the way they were designed. They were almost like sirens. I turned to the twins and rolled my eyes at them. They seemed to be trying to pull the Irish propaganda off of each other, wondering why they were planning on supporting them. I assumed once they saw the leprechauns, they would remember. In the meanwhile, Hermione reached up and pulled Harry back into his seat.

"Honestly!" she said.

"And now, kindly put your wands in the air… for the Irish National Team Mascots!" Ludo Bagman roared.

Next moment, what seemed to be a great green-and-gold comet came zooming into the stadium. It did one circuit of the stadium, then split into two smaller comets, each hurtling toward the goal posts. A rainbow arced suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light. The crowd made noises of affection, as though at a fireworks display. It was lovely to watch. Ireland always had been good sports. The rainbow then faded and the balls of light reunited and merged; they had formed a great shimmering shamrock, which rose up into the sky and began to soar over the stands. Something like golden rain seemed to be falling from it.

"Excellent!" Ron yelled as the shamrock soared over us, and heavy gold coins rained from it, bouncing off our heads and seats.

There was no doubt of what it was. The same thing Ireland brought to all of their games. The same thing that I had always enjoyed watching. Mostly because they were bad sports. It always made for an amusing game. Squinting up at the shamrock, I realized that it was indeed actually comprised of thousands of tiny little bearded men with red vests, each carrying a minute lamp of gold or green. They were leprechauns. A little stereotypical for Ireland, but it worked in their favor.

"Leprechauns!" Mr. Weasley said, echoing my thoughts, over the tumultuous applause of the crowd, many of whom were still fighting and rummaging around under their chairs to retrieve the gold.

"There you go," Ron yelled happily, stuffing a fistful of gold coins into Harry's hand, "For the Omnioculars! Now you've got to buy me a Christmas present, ha!"

"That's leprechaun gold, you fool," I pointed out.

"So?" Ron asked confusedly.

He really didn't know the whole point of leprechaun gold? "Nothing - don't worry about it," I said, waving him off.

He would figure out soon enough exactly what was wrong with leprechaun gold. I just couldn't believe that he didn't know. He was a Pureblood! It would likely help it he paid a little more attention in school. Hermione was firmly locked on watching the field. The great shamrock dissolved, the leprechauns drifted down onto the field on the opposite side from the Veela and settled themselves cross-legged to watch the match. It wouldn't be long before the two mascots began trying to distract the other.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome - the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you - Dimitrov!" Ludo shouted.

A scarlet-clad figure on a broomstick, moving so fast it was blurred, shot out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Bulgarian supporters. It was incredible to see. The Bulgarian players had always been fast. But there was a problem with it. They were controlled but refused to play as dirty as the Irish team did. They had traditionally used Cleansweep Eleven's but they had upgraded to Firebolt's this year. I grinned brilliantly. They were the best brooms in the world. Theirs were also a bright scarlet, just like Gryffindor.

"Ivanova!" A second scarlet robed player zoomed out. "Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaand - Krum!"

"That's him, that's him!" Ron yelled, following Krum with his Omnioculars.

Five red figures flew out that time. I watched with fascination as another one of them flew out at top speed and advanced over the other five quickly. He shot all the way up to the top of the auditorium before performing a rather death-defying stunt. He flew backward up in the air before standing up by his arms on the broom. He came back down onto the broom and hung up towards the top of the stadium. Screens faded over the far side of the auditorium, showing Viktor Krum.

"Krum!" the Weasley's all shouted excitedly.

"Yes!" George cried.

Viktor Krum turned and waved to the crowd. He didn't exactly look happy. He looked a little more intense, ready to play the game. I couldn't blame him. Playing to the crowd would be much easier once the game was over, one way or another. Ron was looking through his Omnioculars and Harry quickly focused his own. I followed suit. It was the first time I'd ever seen the Bulgarian Seeker up close. Viktor Krum was thin, dark, and sallow-skinned, with a large curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He looked like an overgrown bird of prey. It was hard to believe he was only eighteen.

"And now, please greet - the Irish National Quidditch Team! Presenting Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand - Lynch!" Ludo's voice shouted.

Seven green blurs swept onto the field; I screamed at the top of my lungs. It was easy to see that Ireland was the favorite in the competition. I spun a small dial on the side of his Omnioculars and slowed the players down enough to read the word 'Firebolt' on each of their brooms and see their names, embroidered in silver, upon their backs. Most of the professional Quidditch players in the league used Firebolts. The Irish team shot straight through the Bulgarian team forcing them to scatter. There was loud laughter from the crowd.

As always, the Irish team was a lot more personable than the Bulgarian team. The Bulgarians were tough. They just did what they came to do. The Irish were showmen. I watched as the Irish team made a few loops around the pitch that was nearly three times the size of the one at Hogwarts. They all soared up to the Top Box to greet the Ministry workers. I found myself quickly meeting eyes with Phil Troy, who had stopped in front of me. His gaze met mine and he gave me the slightest grin.

It didn't matter that the little look was almost nothing. It didn't matter that it had only lasted a moment. The screens enlarged everything at least two hundred times. The slight smile was enough that everyone in the entire stadium began making cooing noises. Even the Bulgarian players were laughing. My face burned with embarrassment as the laughter echoed around me. No one at Hogwarts would ever let that go. It would likely be in the papers by the morning. And Cedric... had he just seen that? I tried to find him in the other box, but Dad's glare was in my face.

"I hate that damn shirt," Dad huffed.

"I -"

"Don't even bother," he interrupted, waving me off.

My face burned again. I hadn't wanted that or asked for it... "Sorry..." I mumbled.

Harry and Ron were rolling their eyes. "Oh, Diggory's not going to like that one," Harry told me.

"I didn't do anything!" I shouted, annoyed with them.

"Not you," Harry said, laughing at my irritation with the entire situation. "Bet he's rooting for Bulgaria now."

Maybe if I was lucky, Cedric hadn't seen it. But I knew that my face had also been up on those screens for a few moments. There was no way that he had missed it. I glanced down a few boxes and tried to meet his eyes. He was five boxes down from us. I could just barely see him. He wasn't looking at me. Instead, he was looking (scowling) at the Irish team. He eventually turned to look toward me. His face was straight. I gave him a slight smile that he took a moment to respond to. He mouthed 'I liked you first' and I immediately laughed, looking back at the pitch.

"And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!"

A small and skinny wizard, completely bald but with a mustache to rival Vermin's, wearing robes of pure gold to match the stadium, strode out onto the field. I was glad that they had all at least stopped laughing at me. Thankfully Phil Troy was looking back out onto the pitch and watching Hassan Mostafa. A silver whistle was protruding from under the mustache, and he was carrying a large wooden crate under one arm, his broomstick under the other. I grinned brilliantly. It was almost here.

My legs began to bounce excitedly. We were almost to game time. I spun the speed dial on my Omnioculars back to normal, watching closely as Mostafa mounted his broomstick and kicked the crate open - four balls burst into the air: the scarlet Quaffle, the two black Bludgers, and (I saw it for the briefest moment, before it sped out of sight) the minuscule, winged Golden Snitch. Harry gave me a quick grin that I responded to. I knew that we both wished that we were out playing with them. With a sharp blast on his whistle, Mostafa shot into the air after the balls.

"Theeeeeeeey're off!" Ludo screamed over the audience. "And it's Mullet! Troy! Moran! Dimitrov! Back to Mullet! Troy! Levski! Moran!"

It was Quidditch as I had never seen it played before. It was nothing that I could even manage. The entire time I could see Dad moving and reaching out, almost as if he wanted to jump into the game. Mom was laughing at him lovingly. I spent almost half of the early part of the day jumping out of my seat in excitement and then sitting down again. I was pressing my Omnioculars so hard to my face that they were cutting into the bridge of my nose. I kept having to spin the Omnioculars back and forth between full speed and slowed down just to catch everything.

The speed of the players was incredible - the Chasers were throwing the Quaffle to one another so fast that Bagman only had time to say their names. I was sure that I wouldn't be able to speak later with how much I was screaming. I wished that I could do even a tiny piece of what they were doing. I spun the slow dial on the right of my Omnioculars again, pressed the play-by-play button on the top, and I was immediately watching in slow motion while glittering purple lettering flashed across the lenses and the noise of the crowd pounded against my eardrums.

Hawkshead attacking formation, I read as I watched the three Irish Chasers zoom closely together, Troy in the center, slightly ahead of Mullet and Moran, bearing down upon the Bulgarians. Porskoff ploy flashed up next, as Troy made as though to dart upward with the Quaffle, drawing away the Bulgarian Chaser Ivanova and dropping the Quaffle to Moran. One of the Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov, swung hard at a passing Bludger with his small club, knocking it into Moran's path; Moran ducked to avoid the Bludger and dropped the Quaffle; and Levski, soaring beneath, caught it.

A moment later, Phil Troy caught the Quaffle and shot it through the inner circle. "TROY SCORES!" Bagman roared, and the stadium shuddered with a roar of applause and cheers. "Ten zero to Ireland!"

"Yes!" I shouted, hopping to my feet.

"What?" Harry yelled, looking wildly around through his Omnioculars. "But Levski's got the Quaffle!"

Idiot... "Harry, if you're not going to watch at normal speed, you're going to miss things!" Hermione shouted, who was dancing up and down, waving her arms in the air while Troy did a lap of honor around the field.

"You have to watch it back later, not now!" I told him.

"This is incredible," Harry gasped, looking at me.

"Makes you want to be a professional player, right?" I asked him.

"Definitely," Harry said brightly.

The professional Quidditch players were incredible. I could see Dad's desire to join them. He looked so desperate to jump into the middle of the game. I knew that he missed being on the Stars. I looked away from him and quickly over the top of my Omnioculars to see that the leprechauns watching from the sidelines had all risen into the air again and formed the great, glittering shamrock. It was dancing and sparking slightly. Across the field, the Veela were watching them sulkily. I laughed happily.

Just because of the Veela, I didn't want Bulgaria to win. I would always be a little bit bitter about them. Clearly furious with himself, Harry spun his speed dial back to normal as play resumed. At least he had captured the first goal. He would be able to watch it back later. I diverted my eyes from the game just long enough to see Cedric also cheering over the game. It appeared that he had gotten over Phil Troy's earlier glance toward me. Which was good, considering I didn't really know what to make of that entire thing.

The entire time that we watched the game, Dad yelled back and forth about what the players should have been doing better, what each move was called, and how it should have been done. I knew it all but decided to let him have it. Harry was thrilled, listening to him. He definitely knew enough about Quidditch to see that the Irish Chasers were superb. They worked as a seamless team, their movements so well coordinated that they appeared to be reading one another's minds as they positioned themselves, and the rosette on Harry's chest kept squeaking their names.

"Troy - Mullet - Moran!"

Their teamwork was so flawless that I would have thought they had all grown up together. They were incredible. None of the students on any of the Quidditch teams at Hogwarts were even close to being that good. Not even me. But I hoped that one day I could be that good. Within ten minutes of the start of the game, Ireland had scored twice more, bringing their lead to thirty-zero and causing a thunderous tide of roars and applause from the green-clad supporters. The Bulgarians clearly weren't happy with the sudden increase in Ireland's lead.

The match became still faster, but more brutal. I was honestly surprised that no one had gotten injured yet. It didn't usually take that long for someone to break something at the Quidditch World Cup. Volkov and Vulchanov, the Bulgarian Beaters, were whacking the Bludgers as fiercely as possible at the Irish Chasers, and were starting to prevent them from using some of their best moves; twice they were forced to scatter, and then, finally, Ivanova managed to break through their ranks; dodge the Keeper, Ryan; and score Bulgaria's first goal. I rolled my eyes bitterly.

"Fingers in your ears!" Mr. Weasley bellowed as the Veela started to dance in celebration.

It was mostly for the boys since it wasn't anywhere near as easy for the Veela to affect women. Harry and Ron screwed up their eyes too; it was obvious that they both wanted to keep their minds on the game. I glanced over at Cedric's curiously. He didn't even look over at the Veela. He was firmly forced on the game. I smiled brightly, happy that he was completely unaffected. After a few seconds, I chanced a glance at the field. The Veela had stopped dancing, and Bulgaria was again in possession of the Quaffle.

"Dimitrov! Levski! Dimitrov! Ivanova - oh I say!" Bagman roared.

One hundred thousand wizards gasped as the two Seekers, Krum and Lynch, plummeted through the center of the Chasers, so fast that it looked as though they had just jumped from airplanes without parachutes. I looked through my Omnioculars to see if I could find the Snitch. They must have seen it, but I certainly didn't. Where was it? It didn't look like anyone else could find it either. They were all looking back and forth. I followed their descent through my Omnioculars, squinting to see where the Snitch was. How could they see it?

"They're going to crash!" Hermione screamed, two seats down from me.

"No, they're not!" I shouted back.

We were both half right. I knew that Krum was better trained than that. He had perfected this move last season. I remembered vaguely hating them after they used it against the States. At the very last second, Viktor Krum pulled out of the dive and spiraled off, just as he was known to do. Lynch, however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium. How the hell could he have missed where the ground was? A huge groan rose from the Irish seats. I slammed my hands down against the seat in aggravation.

"Fool! Krum was feinting!" Mr. Weasley moaned.

"Idiot!" I shouted.

"It's time-out!" Bagman yelled loudly, "As trained medi-wizards hurry onto the field to examine Aidan Lynch!"

"He'll be okay, he only got plowed!" Charlie said reassuringly to Ginny, who was hanging over the side of the box, looking horror-struck. "Which is what Krum was after, of course…"

"I might not like Bulgaria, but even I've gotta admit that Krum has style," I admitted quietly.

Dad huffed. "Or Lynch is just an idiot."

Dad had never liked Aidan Lynch. He was in his thirties and had known Dad since the two of them were younger kids. From what he had last told me, they had never really liked each other. At the moment, I felt kind of bad for Lynch. He was sure to feel like an idiot when he woke up and realized that he fell for one of Krum's signature tricks. I hastily pressed the replay and play-by-play buttons on my Omnioculars, twiddled the speed dial, and put them back up to my eyes, determined to learn the trick. Maybe I could get Malfoy a black eye that way.

Or perhaps Harry could manage it. I watched as Krum and Lynch dived again in slow motion. Wronski defensive feint dangerous Seeker diversion read the shining purple lettering across my lenses. He would likely get a penalty for it. I saw Krum's face contorted with concentration as he pulled out of the dive just in time, while Lynch was flattened, and I couldn't understand how Lynch hadn't realized that Krum hadn't seen the Snitch at all, he was just making Lynch copy him. He did it in every one of the games he played in.

I had never seen anyone fly like that; Krum hardly looked as though he was using a broomstick at all; he moved so easily through the air that he looked unsupported and weightless. I turned my Omnioculars back to normal and focused them on Krum. He was now circling high above Lynch, who was being revived by medi-wizards with cups of potion. Focusing still more closely upon Krum's face, I saw his dark eyes darting all over the ground a hundred feet below. He was using the time while Lynch was revived to look for the Snitch without interference.

That was why he was one of the best Seekers in the world. "Remind me to try that when we're back at Hogwarts," I whispered to Harry.

"Absolutely," he responded.

"Let me know how it goes," Dad said at the exact same time Mom said, "Don't you dare."

The two of them stared at each other. Mom had a heated glare as Dad's face paled slightly. He cleared his throat and turned to me awkwardly. Mom was watching him closely. "Right. Don't you dare do that. You're not a professional and untrained," Dad warned.

"Promise I won't try it," I told Mom as convincingly as possible.

She glared at me for a moment before looking back toward the field. Dad leaned over and dropped his voice as low as possible so that I could still hear him. "Let me know how it goes."

"Will do," I whispered back, laughing.

He looked happier with me today than he had in days. Maybe the two of us were going to be okay. I turned and glanced back at the ground to see what was happening. Lynch had gotten to his feet at last, to loud cheers from the green-clad supporters, mounted his Firebolt, and kicked back off into the air. I clapped politely, glad that he was okay. His revival seemed to give Ireland a new heart. When Mostafa blew his whistle again, the Chasers moved into action with a skill unrivaled by anything I had seen so far.

After fifteen more fast and furious minutes, Ireland had pulled ahead by ten more goals. My voice was already hoarse from having screamed as much as I had. I was absolutely positive that I was going to be deaf and mute by the end of the game. But I couldn't help myself. There was something exhilarating about being at the World Cup. It always helped that the team I was rooting for was in the lead. Ireland was now leading by one hundred and thirty points to ten, and the game was starting to get dirtier as Bulgaria realized that catching the Snitch might not help them.

"Are the games usually this fast?" Harry asked me.

"No. Ireland's Chasers are too good for Bulgaria. They're here mostly because of Krum. The game's going to be a blowout if he doesn't catch the Snitch soon. Usually, you've got two teams with superb Chasers. Hard for either side to score," I explained.

Harry stared at them, starry-eyed. "They're incredible."

"Give it a while longer. The game's bound to get dirtier. Ireland's not exactly known for playing fair," I told him.

It was undeniable that Bulgaria was good, but Ireland's Chasers were so much better. All of their Chasers were far too good for Bulgaria's one good Seeker. As Mullet shot toward the goal posts yet again, clutching the Quaffle tightly under her arm, the Bulgarian Keeper, Zograf, flew out to meet her. When Zograf knocked straight into her, I jumped up in fury. Harry looked at me in shock. He likely hadn't even noticed the foul. There was a scream of rage from the Irish crowd, and Mostafa's long, shrill whistle blast, told those who hadn't realized what it was that it had been a foul.

"Foul!" I shrieked loudly.

"Cobbing!" Dad howled, jumping up next to me.

"Honestly, you two..." Mom groaned, rolling her eyes in embarrassment.

"That's rubbish!" the twins shouted.

I grinned and leaned over to Mom. "Make that four," I teased.

"And Mostafa takes the Bulgarian Keeper to task for cobbing - excessive use of elbows!" Bagman informed the roaring spectators. "And yes, it's a penalty to Ireland!"

A howling laugh escaped my mouth and the rest of Ireland's supporters. Since they were usually the nastier players, it was nice to see Bulgaria get the penalty. The leprechauns, who had risen angrily into the air like a swarm of glittering hornets when Mullet had been fouled, now darted together to form the words 'HA, HA, HA!' The leprechauns had always been some of the funniest mascots in the league. The Veela on the other side of the field leaped to their feet, tossed their hair angrily, and started to dance again.

As one, the Weasley boys and Harry stuffed their fingers into their ears, but Hermione and me, who hadn't bothered, were soon tugging on Harry's arm. He looked shocked. It was always funny to watch the men react to the Veela. Mostly because they were so hard to fight back against. Except for my boyfriend, as it seemed. I grinned again. He seemed almost unfazed by the Veela. Harry turned to look at Hermione and me, and we both pulled his fingers impatiently out of his ears.

"Look at the referee!" Hermione said, giggling.

Unlike the men up in the stands, who had been smart enough to plug their ears, Mostafa hadn't bothered. The Veela were clearly affecting him. I began laughing loudly as Harry looked down at the field. Hassan Mostafa had landed right in front of the dancing Veela and was acting very oddly indeed. He was flexing his muscles and smoothing his mustache excitedly. He was trying to do anything to impress the Veela, who likely couldn't have cared less about him. It was notoriously tough to impress a Veela.

"Now, we can't have that!" Ludo Bagman cried though he sounded highly amused. "Somebody slap the referee!"

"No! Let him go on!" I called out.

There was some scattered laughter in the Top Box. But it didn't matter. They couldn't let him go on like the way he was. A medi-wizard came tearing across the field, his fingers stuffed into his own ears, and kicked Mostafa hard in the shins. Most of the crowd began laughing even louder than they had been before. Mostafa seemed to come to himself; myself, watching through the Omnioculars again, saw that he looked exceptionally embarrassed and had started shouting at the Veela, who had stopped dancing and were looking mutinous.

"And unless I'm much mistaken, Mostafa is actually attempting to send off the Bulgarian team mascots!" Bagman shouted.

"Oh, come on! The leprechauns are great!" I yelped.

"Now there's something we haven't seen before… Oh, this could turn nasty…" Bagman continued.

It did: The Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov and Vulchanov, landed on either side of Mostafa and began arguing furiously with him, gesticulating toward the leprechauns, who had now gleefully formed the words 'HEE, HEE, HEE.' The Irish supporters were all laughing along and cheering. Mostafa was not impressed by the Bulgarians' arguments, however; he was jabbing his finger into the air, clearly telling them to get flying again, and when they refused, he gave two short blasts on his whistle. They were sure to regret that.

"Two penalties for Ireland!" Bagman shouted, and the Bulgarian crowd howled with anger. I laughed with glee. "And Volkov and Vulchanov had better get back on those brooms… yes… there they go… and Troy takes the Quaffle…"

Play now reached a level of ferocity beyond anything we had yet seen. I was honestly shocked that someone hadn't died yet. Some of the hits looked incredibly painful. The Beaters on both sides were acting without mercy: Volkov and Vulchanov, in particular, seemed not to care whether their clubs made contact with Bludger or human as they swung them violently through the air. They looked determined to break the bones of the Irish players. Dimitrov shot straight at Moran, who had the Quaffle, nearly knocking her off her broom.

"Foul!" the Irish supporters roared as one, all standing up in a great wave of green.

"Foul!" Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice echoed. "Dimitrov skins Moran - deliberately flying to collide there - and it's got to be another penalty yes, there's the whistle!"

The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the Veela across the field. Most of the Irish fans were laughing hysterically. The notoriously uptight Bulgarians didn't look the slightest bit amused. I was honestly surprised that they didn't get a penalty for the gesture. The World Cup usually didn't appreciate any type of profanity, considering how many kids were around. But it was Ireland. They should have been expecting it.

"What are they doing?" Harry asked, watching Ireland, bewildered.

"Told you they don't play fair," I replied.

"Aren't there kids here?" Hermione asked.

"Live a little, Mione!" I teased.

The kids would all see it sooner or later anyway. Might as well be here. At their sudden gesture, the Veela lost control. Instead of dancing, they launched themselves across the field and began throwing what seemed to be handfuls of fire at the leprechauns. They were finally beginning to show their true colors. I smiled happily. I hated them. Watching through my Omnioculars, much to my pleasure, I saw that they didn't look remotely beautiful now. On the contrary, their faces were elongating into sharp, cruel-beaked bird heads, and long, scaly wings were bursting from their shoulders.

"That's what a Veela looks like?" Harry asked, shocked.

"When they're angry," I said.

"And that, boys, is why you should never go for looks alone!" Mr. Weasley yelled over the tumult of the crowd below.

"Brains -" Hermione said.

"A sense of humor -" Ginny continued.

"And daring," I finished proudly.

"Who needs all that?" the twins asked together.

Ginny rolled her eyes at her brothers. Hermione scoffed. I looked over at them and had to suppress slapping them. "You two are pigs," I snapped.

They both winked at me and looked back at the game. I rolled my eyes at them. They were such pigs. I'd make sure to hit them after the game was over. Ministry wizards were flooding onto the field to separate the Veela and the leprechauns, but with little success; meanwhile, the pitched battle below was nothing to the one taking place above. The players looked like they were about to be damned with the rules and murder each other. I turned this way and that, staring through my Omnioculars, as the Quaffle changed hands with the speed of a bullet.

"Levski - Dimitrov - Moran - Troy - Mullet - Ivanova - Moran again - Moran - MORAN SCORES!"

There was only enough time to say the names and barely even that. Bagman was falling behind and his voice was getting drowned out. The cheers of the Irish supporters were barely heard over the shrieks of the Veela, the blasts now issuing from the Ministry members' wands, and the furious roars of the Bulgarians. The game recommenced immediately; now Levski had the Quaffle, now Dimitrov. The Irish Beater Quigley swung heavily at a passing Bludger and hit it as hard as possible toward Krum, who did not duck quickly enough. It hit him full in the face.

Despite knowing that it was rather rude, I instantly started laughing. It was always amusing watching someone get their nose broken. I knew how it felt anyway. It was more surprising than painful. There was a deafening groan from the crowd; Krum's nose certainly looked broken, there was blood everywhere, but Hassan Mostafa didn't blow his whistle. He had become distracted, and I couldn't blame him; one of the Veela had thrown a handful of fire and set his broom tail alight. There was more laughter of amusement - this time from everyone in the stadium.

No one really seemed to notice what was going on. At least, none of the referees. It was fine by me. If the referees didn't see that Krum was injured it would be impossible for him to see the Snitch, which meant that Ireland had an even better chance of winning. But I did want it to be fair. I wanted the best team to win. That meant that I wanted someone to realize that Krum was injured; even though I was supporting Ireland, just like the others, Krum was definitely the most exciting player on the field. Harry and Ron obviously felt the same.

"Time-out!" Ron demanded. "Ah, come on, he can't play like that, look at him -"

"Damn that looks like it hurt," I muttered.

But Krum made no indication that he couldn't play. "He needs to stop," Ron said.

But he could manage. It was just a little painful and very messy. "He's fine. I kept playing with a broken finger and collarbone. He can manage a nose," I said, waving Ron's concern off. "I don't see much difference anyway."

"Look at Lynch!" Harry yelled.

My eyebrow arched. What the hell was he talking about? It took me a moment to find whatever it was that Harry was talking about. He had always been able to find things better than me. That was the reason that he was a Seeker and I was a Chaser. Once I finally locked onto where Lynch was, I smiled brilliantly. Maybe he was a little more useful than I liked to give him credit for. For the Irish Seeker had suddenly gone into a dive, and I was quite sure that this was no Wronski Feint; this was the real thing. He had somehow found the Snitch.

"He's seen the Snitch!" Harry shouted. "He's seen it! Look at him go!"

"Go, Lynch!" I shouted, hopping to my feet.

If he got the Snitch... I wasn't sure what I would do. But I would lose it. Ireland had to win. Half the crowd seemed to have realized what was happening; the Irish supporters rose in another great wave of green, screaming their Seeker on… but Krum was on his tail. Krum would catch it with his skill. But it would be tough through the blood. How he could see where he was going at the moment, I had no idea; there were flecks of blood flying through the air behind him, but he was drawing level with Lynch now as the pair of them hurtled toward the ground again.

"They're going to crash!" Hermione shrieked.

"They're not!" Ron roared.

"Lynch is!" Harry yelled.

There was no way. There was absolutely no way that Lynch was going to crash again. I would lose it. Lynch needed to get the hell off of the Irish team if he managed to somehow crash twice in the same damn game. But he was right. Harry was somehow right. For the second time, Lynch hit the ground with tremendous force and was immediately stampeded by a horde of angry Veela. He would likely be having a pretty terrible time between the Veela and the wrath of his team members. No one liked seeing Seekers crash on the attempt to grab the Snitch.

"What a moron..." I groaned to myself. I jumped up and cupped my hands around my mouth. "Get a new Seeker!"

"The Snitch, where's the Snitch?" Charlie bellowed, along the row.

"He's got it - Krum's got it - it's all over!" Harry shouted.

But it didn't matter. They had to look at the scoreboard. "They were too late though!" I yelled back.

It was too late. Somehow Ireland had managed to win, mostly because of their Chasers. I smiled with pride. Those were my kind of players. Krum, his red robes shining with blood from his nose, was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a glint of gold in his hand. Even I had to start clapping happily for him. He was very clearly a wonderful player. He was certainly either one of or the best Seeker in the league. I glanced over at the others and smiled. We were all cheering. Everyone appreciated Krum's skills, but we'd all wanted Ireland to win.

The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: 160, IRELAND: 170 across the crowd, who didn't seem to have realized what had happened. Of course, had Dad not been a human teleprompter throughout the game, I might not have known what was happening either. He was making all kinds of nonsensical screams right now. Probably in excitement, I couldn't quite tell. Then, slowly, as though a great jumbo jet were revving up, the rumbling from the Ireland supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight.

"IRELAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, who like the Irish, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match. "KRUM GETS THE SNITCH - BUT IRELAND WINS - good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!"

"Yes, Ireland!" I shouted excitedly.

"What did he catch the Snitch for?"Ron bellowed, even as he jumped up and down, applauding with his hands over his head. "He ended it when Ireland were a hundred and sixty points ahead, the idiot!"

"He knew they were never going to catch up!" Harry shouted back over all the noise, also applauding loudly. "The Irish Chasers were too good… It's like you said, Tara... He wanted to end it on his terms, that's all..."

It would have made no sense for Krum to wait out the game. They would have continued getting further and further behind and risked Lynch getting the Snitch. "They still get all the points for the next season. They're better off losing the Quidditch World Cup this year but gaining the points to start ahead next year rather than risk Ireland getting them all," I explained to the others.

"It's ranked?" Hermione called over the noise.

"Just like the Inter-House Cup at Hogwarts is," I shouted back.

The Inter-House Cup was mostly played to let us see what the professional world was like. "He was very brave, wasn't he?" Hermione asked, leaning forward to watch Krum land as a swarm of medi-wizards blasted a path through the battling leprechauns and Veela to get to him. I arched a brow. Since when had she cared for professional Quidditch? "He looks a terrible mess..."

Taking the chance to harass her, I leaned over Harry. "Are you worried about him? Want to go patch him up?" I teased.

"Shut up," Hermione hissed. She glanced out over the Irish, celebrating in the Pitch. "Where's Troy?"

"Don't know," I mumbled dumbly.

Honestly, right up until then, I had kind of forgotten about Phil Troy. I wasn't sure whether it was just because I didn't know him or if it was because I just cared for Cedric that much more. I supposed that it didn't really matter. I just ignored Hermione's slight gaze. I didn't care about Phil Troy. Sure, he was the slightest bit cute. Actually, he was definitely good-looking. He reminded me of Cedric ever-so-slightly. But it didn't matter. After today, I was sure to never see him again. So I supposed that I could stare at him for a little while.

Or not... Nope... I didn't need to look at him right now. Instead, I glanced away to see what else was going on down below us. I put my Omnioculars to my eyes again. It was hard to see what was happening below because leprechauns were zooming delightedly all over the field. I had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before they started trying to attack the Veela. They had never gotten along well. Either way, I could just barely make out Krum, surrounded by medi-wizards. He looked surlier than ever and refused to let them mop him up.

Which was kind of disgusting, but I prided him on his refusal to get cleaned up. His team members were around him, shaking their heads and looking dejected. Not that I blamed them. It was a well-fought game. But they had still lost. A short way away, the Irish players were dancing gleefully in a shower of gold descending from their mascots. Flags were waving all over the stadium, the Irish national anthem blared from all sides; the Veela were shrinking back into their usual, beautiful selves now, though looking dispirited and forlorn.

"Vell, ve fought bravely," a gloomy voice said behind me.

Both Harry and I looked around; it was the Bulgarian Minister of Magic. "You can speak English! And you've been letting me mime everything all day!" Fudge yelped, sounding outraged.

"Veil, it vos very funny," the Bulgarian minister said, shrugging.

A loud and ungraceful snort escaped my mouth. "Knew it," I giggled.

"And as the Irish team performs a lap of honor, flanked by their mascots, the Quidditch World Cup itself is brought into the Top Box!" Bagman roared excitedly.

The entire audience was either in hysterics or clapping excitedly. It had been a rather short game but no less exciting than the longer ones. It was definitely one to remember. My eyes were suddenly dazzled by a blinding white light, as the Top Box was magically illuminated so that everyone in the stands could see the inside. Squinting toward the entrance, I saw two panting wizards carrying a vast golden cup into the box, which they handed to Cornelius Fudge, who was still looking very disgruntled that he'd been using sign language all day for nothing.

"Let's have a really loud hand for the gallant losers - Bulgaria!" Bagman shouted.

My eyes locked onto the beautiful Quidditch World Cup. Damn it... One of those days I would kill someone to get a shot at it. One of those days I could really get that trophy. If I worked at it, at least. I clapped softly for Bulgaria - mostly for Krum. In the meantime, up the stairs into the box came the seven defeated Bulgarian players. The crowd below was applauding appreciatively; I could see thousands and thousands of Omniocular lenses flashing and winking in our direction. I grinned brightly.

One by one, the Bulgarians filed between the rows of seats in the box, and Bagman called out the name of each as they shook hands with their own minister and then with Fudge. Krum, who was last in line, looked a real mess. Two black eyes were blooming spectacularly on his bloody face. He was still holding the Snitch. I noticed that he seemed much less coordinated on the ground. He was slightly duck-footed and distinctly round-shouldered. It took everything in me not to laugh. But when Krum's name was announced, the whole stadium gave him a resounding, earsplitting roar.

Even I gave a respectful round of applause. They deserved it. After all, they had fought to be here too. And then came the Irish team. Aidan Lynch was being supported by Moran and Connolly; the second crash seemed to have dazed him and his eyes looked strangely unfocused. But he grinned happily as Troy and Quigley lifted the Cup into the air and the crowd below thundered its approval. I cheered as the Irish team came to stand just in front of our row. By now, my hands were numb with clapping.

Things didn't remain happy and carefree for that long. Much to my surprise, excitement, and slight horror, my heart skipped a beat when Phil Troy's head turned to meet mine. For a moment I thought that he would look right past me. But he didn't. Instead, his eyes locked firmly onto mine and didn't leave. He walked up to me instead of walking away. I knew that everyone was watching the two of us. This had never happened before. Why did it have to happen to me? Omnioculars were flashing in our direction and my face flushed.

Troy stopped in front of Dad first. "Marcus. How are you?" he asked.

His face was flushed and he was slightly bloody from a Bludger to the shoulder. "Good, Phil. Good to see you again. Congratulations on the win," Dad replied, shaking his head.

"Thank you," Troy said.

"Might I introduce my wife, Julia?" Dad offered, pulling Mom over to us.

"Well played," she said, shaking his hand.

"Thank you," Troy repeated.

The four of us shifted awkwardly for a moment. I could tell that Troy was trying to find a way to Segway into a conversation with me. "From what I hear, you're already acquainted with my daughter," Dad said, also sensing the tension.

"We met on the staircase coming up," Troy explained, turning to me. "Good to see you again, Tara."

"Congratulations. Those were some incredible throws," I told him, getting up and shaking his hand. I noticed that he lingered with my own slightly longer. "I'm a Chaser on my own House Team at Hogwarts. All of this makes me hope one day I can be a professional player."

Troy smiled. "Well, you have two people to put in a good word for you."

"Much appreciated," I responded.

Troy grinned at me again. "Troy here is one of the youngest players in Ireland's history. Only seventeen, you know?" Dad said.

"Would have never guessed," I replied.

"Tara's starting her Fourth Year at Hogwarts this year," Dad told Troy.

Troy stared at me for a moment before laughing slightly. "Would have pegged you for being older," Troy teased.

"I'm turning fifteen in a few weeks," I explained.

"Ah," Troy hummed.

Was there something there? He seemed slightly... I wasn't quite sure what it seemed like. Slightly strange, I supposed. Trying to change the subject, I looked back at the World Cup and smiled. "Nice trophy to take home," I commented.

"Like to hold it for a moment?" Troy offered.

My heart skipped a beat. Was he kidding? "Are you kidding?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Not at all," Troy said, shaking his head.

"Thank you," I gasped.

Hell, yeah, I wanted to hold the trophy. I could have died perfectly happy after getting a chance to hold the trophy. I had never gotten to hold it when Dad had won it. He wouldn't let anyone else touch it. Troy grabbed the Cup and very carefully handed it over to me. I took the World Cup and held it lovingly for a moment, hoping that I wouldn't burst into tears like a crying fool. Everyone in the stadium was watching me in wonder. Ron and Harry looked like they were about to pass out from jealousy. Malfoy was scowling at me.

The others were smiling. Suddenly a man darted up in front of us holding a camera. "Picture over here, you two! For The Prophet!" the cameraman chirped.

"Me?" I asked, dumbfounded.

The photographer flashed a picture before shouting, "Thanks!"

He ran off without saying anything else. I handed the World Cup back to the other players before turning to Troy. "What was that about?" I asked him curiously.

Troy ran a hand over the back of his neck. "Might want to avoid The Prophet for the next few days. Sorry about that," he said guiltily.

Right... The Prophet was likely going to say something about how we were now together or something. "That's okay," I said.

"Are you all staying the night?" Troy asked us.

"Yes. We're in the first field," Dad explained.

Troy merely smiled at us. My face burned slightly. "Perhaps I'll drop by for a cup of tea. Catch up. You can tell me all about how the Stars are doing this season," Troy said to Dad.

But was that really what he wanted to talk about? Dad grinned anyway. "That'll be a long conversation."

"See you all later, then," Troy said.

He walked off, leaving us all with a final handshake. My face was likely still burning from the first time he had looked at me. It was not good. I also wanted to know how Cedric was reacting to the entire thing. I knew that he could see it on the screens. At last, when the Irish team had left the box to perform another lap of honor on their brooms (Aidan Lynch on the back of Connolly's, clutching hard around his waist and still grinning in a bemused sort of way), Bagman pointed his wand at his throat.

He then muttered, "Quietus."

In the meantime, Ron and Harry were huffing irritably. "How does that happen to you?" Ron asked.

This was not something I had asked for! It never was! "Do you think I asked for him to do that?" I shouted irritably. Ron merely glared at Troy. "I don't know him! And he's just being nice. He knows my dad, you know."

"You're so daft," Fred said, drawing my attention over to him. "He likes you."

"He doesn't know me!" I shouted back.

Fred rolled his eyes and leaned over to me. "He - thinks - you're - attractive," Fred said slowly, poking me in the chest with each word. "Pretty but a complete moron."

"Hey!" I barked at him. "I'm helping you with the joke shop."

Fred grinned. "And we love you for it."

That was when I remembered what those two morons had done earlier. "I can't believe you two almost blew your entire savings on this game!" I gasped, irritated with the two of them. They merely grinned. "Congratulations to the two of you, as well, I suppose. How did you know?"

"We followed the outcomes of the previous games closely," George explained.

"Mostly luck, then," I huffed.

The two of them were morons. They had almost lost their entire life savings. "Oh, Tara. So mistrusting," Fred teased.

"They'll be talking about this one for years, a really unexpected twist, that… shame it couldn't have lasted longer..." Bagman said slowly. "Ah yes… yes, I owe you... how much?"

For Fred and George were finally ignoring me. I grunted as the two of them threw me out of the way and darted over me, almost knocking me down onto the floor. Ron and Harry were laughing at me as Hermione and Ginny both offered me a hand up. In the meantime, the twins had just scrambled over the backs of their seats and were standing in front of Ludo Bagman with broad grins on their faces, their hands outstretched. I rolled my eyes at them. They owed me some of that money just for the stress they caused.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _During a midnight meeting with Cedric, things go terribly wrong at the Quidditch World Cup._ Hope you guys liked this one! I had a good time writing it. This has always been one of my favorite scenes in the books. I'm very excited for the next chapter! It definitely has a lot of interesting character development in it. Thanks so much for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Ghostie1701: Thank you! Never be too quick to assume what's going to happen. Things could change in a few months. Plus we all know that things can't be too easy and obvious. Drama will get thrown in there. Or now. We'll see. I do know what is going to happen to Cedric (I've finally made up my mind) but we're going to have to wait and see! I'm so glad that you love him in my story though and I will take that as a compliment, that I've done something right. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

 **pottersimpala67: Thank you! I'm so glad you loved the last one. Hopefully this one didn't take too long. I'm excited for the next chapter too. It'll be cute and tense. We all know that Cedric needs a lot of brownie points with Marcus! I'm glad that you loved Tara running into her American friends! It was a nice addition to the chapter and I think it shows that Tara does still hold love for her roots. Hope you liked this one!**

 **stephanielau: Thank you! The kiss wasn't originally planned in the other chapter but I couldn't resist. I love the romance too! I hope you liked this one! Fred and George are perfect. Definitely some of my favorite characters in the entire series.** **Hope you liked this one!**

 **Son of Whitebeard: Bagman is definitely super comical. But he is an ass for what he did to Fred and George. Hope you liked this one!**

 **Guest: Sorry to say that you'll still see a lot of Fred in the upcoming chapters. And it's not really a love triangle. Tara's not torn. She hasn't looked at Fred that way yet. Not that she realizes, at least. Right now Cedric is definitely still the only choice for her. Either way, I hope you liked this one!**

 **Vincent FGS91: I'm glad that the last one was fun to read! It was fun to write too! Hopefully this one got better! I'm glad that you liked the old scene with her friends from the States. Hope you liked this one!**


	9. The Dark Mark

"Don't tell your mother you've been gambling," Mr. Weasley implored Fred and George as we all made our way slowly down the purple-carpeted stairs.

"Don't worry, Dad, we've got big plans for this money. We don't want it confiscated," Fred said gleefully.

Mr. Weasley looked for a moment as though he was going to ask what those big plans were, but seemed to decide, upon reflection, that he didn't want to know. I shook my head at him anyway. He really didn't want to know what the twins were up to. In the meantime, I grumpily shook my head at them. They had nearly given me a heart attack by losing all of their money. If they had really needed it that badly, I would have given it to them. But I also knew that they would have never taken it from me.

The twins appeared at my side about halfway down the stairs. I crossed my arms huffily. "You two have no idea how lucky you are," I snapped at them.

"It wasn't luck," Fred said.

"We knew what we were doing," George added.

"Liars," I hissed.

Fred and George exchanged a quick grin. "Always so mistrusting," Fred teased, slinging his arm over my shoulders.

Rolling my shoulders to push his arm off of me, I turned and shoved the twins back a few steps. "You two morons almost gambled away all of your savings!" I shouted.

"But we didn't," George pointed out.

"It worked out," Fred said.

"Because you're the luckiest bastards in the world," I seethed.

"Language, Tara," Fred teased.

"Shut up," I snapped, shoving him back again. He grinned. We walked down a few more flights when I remembered something. "Hey! Remind me to try that Wronski Feint when we're back at Hogwarts."

"Remind us to watch when you fly right into the dirt," Fred shot back.

"I'm a better player than you!" I barked.

"You absolutely are not!" Fred hissed indignantly.

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"I got on the team in my First Year!" I said proudly.

"Because you broke the rules!" Fred argued.

It didn't take the others long to yell at us to shut up about our seemingly pointless argument. But I really didn't care to stop. I was better than Fred was and I would prove it to him. We ended up spending much of the walk back arguing about which one of us was the better Quidditch player. It must have eventually turned comical because I could hear the others laughing at us. Neither one of us was willing to admit that the other was better. As we walked out of the stadium, something distracted me.

"Does it feel like people are staring at us?" I whispered to the others.

What could we have possibly done to be drawing all of the stares from people across the field? "They're not staring at us. They're staring at you," Bill pointed out.

"Do I have something on my face?" I asked worriedly.

What the hell had the twins done to me while I wasn't paying attention? Bill laughed under his breath as Mom fell into step with me. "Not too often someone in the crowd catches the eye of a professional Quidditch player," she explained.

Oh... Everyone was staring at me because of Phil... "He was just being nice, honestly," I mumbled awkwardly.

That was the last thing I needed. My face in the _Daily Prophet_ stating that I was the newest girlfriend of a professional Quidditch player. Dad was likely to get even angrier over that. Not to mention how Cedric would feel about his girlfriend being rumored to be someone else's. Then there was everyone back at Hogwarts. This would definitely manage to get around since so many people were here tonight. I rolled my eyes and walked with my head aimed toward the ground. Maybe they would forget about tonight if I managed to avoid the spotlight.

They were sure to forget once Phil Troy headed back to Ireland and continued training where I was sure he would manage to find some girl to fawn over him. That would be my plan in the meantime. Just avoid any attention on me for the next few weeks. It should have been easy enough. We were soon caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to their campsites. Thankfully it seemed that everyone had the game to be thinking about and not my relationship status.

Raucous singing was borne toward us on the night air as we retraced our steps along the lantern-lit path, and leprechauns kept shooting over our heads, cackling and waving their lanterns. I smiled and began humming along with them. It definitely added to the excitable air throughout the camp. When we finally reached the tents, nobody felt like sleeping at all, and given the level of noise around us, Mr. Weasley and my own parents agreed that we could all have one last cup of cocoa together before turning in.

We were chatting back and forth as I seated myself in between Fred and Harry. "So, who's better between you and Diggory?" Fred asked, drawing my attention over to him.

We must have been back on the Quidditch conversation. "Definitely me," I said.

"On that much, we agree," Fred teased.

We both started laughing. There was no doubt that Cedric was a very talented Quidditch player. In fact, I was willing to bet that he was one of the better players at Hogwarts. But I knew that I was better than him. As a Chaser, at least. I was still a lousy Seeker. We all sat around the table, laughing and chattering away as we had our late-night drinks. I was sipping on my tea, enjoying the calm air after the excitable day, as everyone else talked about the game. It didn't take long for the conversation to shift to Krum, who Ron seemed to idolize.

The twins were hooting and howling as they ran around the living room, Irish flags hanging off their shoulders. "There's no one like Krum," Ron growled, hopping up onto the table. "He's like a bird, the way he rides in the wind. He's more than an athlete, he's an artist."

The twins began running back and forth, flapping their arms around like a bird, just the way Ron had described. We all began laughing at them. The adults had all backed off, allowing us some time to enjoy ourselves. It took the twins less than ten seconds to begin bumbling about the tent. Harry was leaning back against the stakes of the tent as I placed myself on the edge of the table. Fred threw an Irish flag over Ron's shoulders and I laughed as he then threw it down to me. The twins were hanging over their younger brother's shoulders, muttering Krum's name.

"I think you're in love, Ron," Ginny teased, walking up to Ron's side and patting his leg.

"Shut up," he snapped at her.

"Viktor I love you!" George sang, hopping on the table with Ron.

"Viktor I do!" Fred continued, grabbing Ron's hand.

"When we're apart my heart beats only for you!" I sang, joining in alongside Harry.

Ron growled under his breath as George whacked him with a pillow. We all laughed as something that sounded a bit like an explosion along with some cheers echoed outside the tent. "Sounds like the Irish have got their pride on," Fred commented.

"Are you honestly surprised? They're not exactly known for being humble," I pointed out.

"You should be out there, then," Fred told me.

"Hah," I snapped, shoving him away from me. "You're hilarious."

One of these days I was really going to punch Fred dead in the nose. But that day wasn't today. Instead, we all jumped about the living room for a little while longer. I was sure that Ron was going to kill us all with our constant teasing about his love for Viktor Krum. I smiled as I caught sight of Mom and Dad curled up by the fireplace. I could tell that he was a lot more relaxed with the World Cup officially done with. In the back of my mind, I wondered if he might finally let up on the Cedric situation.

We were all soon arguing enjoyably about the match; Mr. Weasley got drawn into a disagreement about cobbing with Charlie, and it was only when Ginny fell asleep right at the tiny table and spilled hot chocolate all over the floor that Mr. Weasley called a halt to the verbal replays and insisted that everyone go to bed. Half of us were still complaining about having to go to bed. I wasn't really tired yet. From the other side of the campsite, I could still hear much singing and the odd echoing bang. Everyone else was still partying.

"Oh, I am glad I'm not on duty. I wouldn't fancy having to go and tell the Irish they've got to stop celebrating," Mr. Weasley muttered sleepily.

"Doubt they'd listen to you anyway," I said.

Hermione, Ginny, and I headed into our section of the tent. I was about to pull on my pajamas, simultaneously trying to finish the little bit of hot chocolate I had left, when there was a soft call from the outside of the tent. I arched a brow, wondering who it was. Everyone peeked their heads out of their rooms to see who it was. As Dad got up and opened the tent flap, I had to walk out of our section of the tent to actually see who it was. The boys' heads were in my way. Fred and George immediately began laughing.

"Phil!" Dad called happily. My face drained of color. I found myself glad that I wasn't in my pajamas yet. "Glad you stopped by."

"You've got to be joking," Harry scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Do you think I wanted this?" I snapped at him.

"Had to take you up on the opportunity to talk about Marcus Nox's adventures since leaving the Stars. Might be a good time to get some advice," Phil joked.

"You'll understand if I'm still a little biased," Dad said.

"Absolutely," Phil laughed.

Maybe there was a chance that he was only here to talk to Dad... That would definitely be preferable. I wasn't quite in the mood to have my best friends watching a professional Quidditch player flirt with me while I was trying to find a way to sneak out to see my boyfriend. _Why can't I have just one part of my life be normal?_ I blushed as Phil walked into the tent. Harry and Ron looked interested to see him up close. Hermione and Ginny were giving me a long stare. Fred and George were still laughing. I found myself baffled by the entire evening.

To my surprise, Phil walked straight up to me. "Tara," he greeted. "Good to see you again."

"You, too. Not joining in on the celebrations?" I questioned, throwing my head toward the tent flap.

"I will just a little while later."

"But we're so important?" I teased.

Phil smiled. "Could be."

At that moment, Dad called Phil off. He walked toward the table and his spot was taken by Fred a moment later. "If you wanted to make him disinterested in you, that was not the way to go about it," Fred said.

Shit... "Who asked you?" I snapped.

Fred grinned. "Just being helpful."

Dad called out to everyone else, pulling us back to the table. No one looked tired anymore. Except for poor Mr. Weasley. But even he looked interested in the newest addition. "Everyone, this is Phil Troy. One of the Irish Chasers. We used to see each other on the pitch from time to time. One of the youngest players in the league," Dad explained.

"Hello," everyone called out.

"Nice to meet you all," Phil said.

It didn't take long for Mr. Weasley and Dad to invite Phil to sit for a cup of tea and chat. Nearly everyone was thrilled to not have to go to bed yet. Although Ginny looked like she would have loved to just go to sleep. For a while, we all sat around the table and had a long conversation about the game and all of the plays throughout. I was likely one of the loudest people in that conversation. Each time Dad or Phil would explain a new move I could try, I got even more excited to get back to Hogwarts.

As we all woke up (it was just past midnight) from our previously drowsy states, we all chatted back and forth with each other more and more excitedly. Phil never even seemed to notice that he had kind of woken us up. Phil ended up spending much of the night sitting at my side and talking to me about how his own career had started. It was needless to say that I was absolutely fascinated by his life. I loved hearing about how someone so young had become a professional. He seemed more than willing to talk to me about it.

The conversation flowed effortlessly and no one interrupted us. I was kind of surprised to see Dad letting me have a conversation with a boy who had been clearly flirting with me earlier. But he didn't seem even moderately concerned with our conversation. I ended up telling Phil a little bit about the Gryffindor Quidditch Team at Hogwarts when I got up to do the dishes and he offered to join me, leaving us mostly alone. He had gotten quite the laugh out of the story of how I had gotten on my team.

We had been washing the dishes in silence for a little while when Phil spoke again. "You were saying that you're an alternate on your House Team at Hogwarts?"

"Yeah. I'll be a regular next season," I told him.

"You ever played on a regulation pitch before?"

"Yeah. My dad's brought me back to the Stars Pitch a few times to let me fly around on it."

"Nothing beats it."

"Absolutely. There's something about being up there. It's magical," I said dreamily. As Phil smiled at me, I realized just how stupid I must have just sounded. "I know that's a stupid way to put it."

Phil waved me off. "No, it isn't. I understand what you mean."

We stood in silence for a moment. "You've been homeschooled your whole life then? Never been to school?" I asked curiously.

"Missed out on that much I'm afraid."

"Do you ever wish you had gone?"

"Sometimes," Phil admitted. I let out a sad breath of air. That could have made for a depressing childhood. "But I'm grateful that I got this opportunity. Get to meet a lot of interesting people."

"I'll bet," I said.

"Might I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Phil turned over toward the table, where mostly everyone else was still sitting. "The redhead over there -"

"Which one?" I interrupted teasingly.

We both laughed as Phil pulled me over toward him and motioned toward the table. "One of the twins," Phil said. I nodded. They weren't looking in our direction anymore. "One of them doesn't seem to like me very much." _Of course._.. "Were they supporting Bulgaria?"

"That's Fred and George. Don't take them too seriously," I said, waving Phil off. "They don't really like anyone who -"

"Who?" Phil asked.

My voice dropped off as my face paled. I had realized almost too late what I was about to say. I couldn't just blatantly tell him that I knew he was flirting with me. "Don't worry about it. They're weird," I said awkwardly.

Phil sensed my hesitation and changed the subject. "Will you be back at Hogwarts this year?"

"Yeah. Term starts September 1st."

"Perhaps I'll see you."

That baffled me. "At Hogwarts?"

Wasn't he done with school since he had been homeschooled? "Yes. My younger sister is in her Sixth Year at Beauxbatons. My family preferred her to go there rather than Hogwarts, despite her protests," Phil explained.

"What does her being at Beauxbatons have anything to do with -?"

"Phil!" Dad interrupted me, running in between the two of us. He pushed me back a step and I stared at him blankly. "We haven't actually been telling anyone about that just yet."

"Oh," Phil said, looking a little embarrassed. "My deepest apologies. I wouldn't have been able to keep my mouth shut."

"We can see that," Dad teased.

They both laughed, but I was beyond confused. "What are you two talking about?" I huffed.

"You'll see soon enough," Dad said.

"That's not fair," I snapped.

It didn't make any sense. I didn't understand what Phil's younger sister, who was in Beauxbatons, had anything to do with him possibly visiting Hogwarts. The two schools were in different countries. Dad and Phil laughed at my annoyance as I huffed and walked off. I had always hated being kept out of the loop about things. Dad and Phil laughed at me as I walked off and headed over towards Mom. She smiled at me as I walked off. Maybe there was a chance that I could get her to tell me what was going on.

"Mom!" I barked. "What's going on at Hogwarts this year?"

"You'll see soon enough darling. It's only two weeks," Mom said sweetly.

"That's not fair!" I huffed.

"Relax, darling," Mom said, patting my hand. I was still annoyed but managed to calm down with some more tea. Mom was watching me closely the entire time. "Phil Troy seems to have taken to you."

My face burned with embarrassment. "He just knows Dad. He's being friendly," I mumbled.

Phil Troy didn't care about me in the slightest. He was just being nice to me because of Dad. "You have a big head about a lot of things. You got that from your father," Mom said, making us both laugh. "But you also need to realize that you are a very pretty girl, Tara. Cedric Diggory notices. Phil Troy notices. And I promise you that a few other boys have noticed."

My face burned stupidly. I hadn't really ever thought of someone else liking me. "Doesn't matter. I like Cedric," I muttered.

"Good for you. I like him too," Mom said. "He's around right now, isn't he?"

"Somewhere," I said carelessly.

"Uh-huh," she hummed.

 _Had to get that habit of sneaking around from somewhere._.. "Speaking of, what time is it?" I asked her.

Mom glanced down at her Muggle watch. "A few minutes to midnight."

"Thanks," I said, hopping up from my seat at the table. "Hey!" Dad turned to me. "We're running kind of low on water. I think I'm going to head out and get some."

"That's a good idea, Tara," Dad said.

"Bring two pales, will you?" Mom asked.

"Sure."

Gathering two of the water pales from the kitchen, I headed back toward the flap of the tent. Mom met me just before I could leave. "Don't forget to actually get the water," she warned quietly.

 _Damn it._ "What are you talking about? That's what I'm doing," I said.

"Have fun," Mom laughed.

"Always," I giggled.

"I can escort you if you'd like?" Phil offered, standing from the table.

 _Definitely wasn't betting on that one.._. "Well," I mumbled, "I -"

"That would be wonderful, actually. It's late and dark out there," Dad said happily.

 _No! That was not the way this night was supposed to go_. "There are a hundred thousand people out there. I think I can manage to not get killed," I teased, trying to keep a teasing face.

"I was planning on heading out soon anyway. I don't mind walking with you," Phil offered.

"There a problem?" Dad asked suspiciously.

"Uh… no. No problem at all," I said. I would figure things out later. "Come on."

Phil motioned for me to head out of the flap. "After you."

"Thanks," I said, heading out of the tent. Phil took one of the pales as we headed out into the throng of people who were still celebrating Ireland's win. "You staying here for the night?"

Phil nodded, motioning back toward where the stadium was. "The players have a campsite on the other side of the stadium. We're all staying there for the night before heading back home. We have a few months off before the new season starts," Phil explained.

"Will you still be training?" I asked curiously.

"Of course."

"You'll have a hell of a season to live up to."

"That we do."

At some point, I was going to have to get away from him, but I figured that I could be nice for a little while. "Some days I really wish I could become a professional player. Follow in Dad's footsteps," I said. Phil smiled. "But other days I want to do something like an Auror."

"You can be whatever it is you'd like. You seem skilled enough to do either. You have time to think about it," Phil said.

"When did you know you wanted to be a Quidditch player?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, I knew from when I was a young child that this was all I wanted to do."

"Hmm…"

We walked in silence for a little while before Phil spoke again. "Your father tells me you have quite the penchant for breaking the rules."

A little grin turned up on the edges of my lips. That was the understatement of the year. "It's always for a good cause," I pointed out.

"I would love to hear those stories one day," Phil said, grinning.

"Um," I mumbled. _Backpedal, Tara._ "Maybe if you're ever around Surrey."

Was I making things worse? "That would be nice. Your father actually invited us to stop by one day," Phil told me. _Of course, he did..._ "Perhaps you can tell me all about your wonderful stories."

"I'll actually be at -"

"Tara?"

The familiar voice made both of us whip around. A shot of relief went through me at the sight of Cedric. I grinned, meeting him halfway. "Cedric!" I chirped happily, wrapping him in a hug. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Sorry. Got held up at the counter. Someone insisting that I buy their -" Cedric broke off, realizing that I was giggling at him. "Doesn't matter, I suppose."

"Now you've got me curious," I teased. I was kind of curious now. Cedric grinned down at me before stepping back and realizing that I hadn't been alone. His face dropped slightly when he saw that it was Phil. I awkwardly stepped between them. "Oh, uh, Cedric, this is Phil Troy. Chaser for Ireland."

"Well played. Congratulations," Cedric said, shaking Phil's hand.

"Thank you," Phil said.

It didn't take me long to notice that Cedric had taken a somewhat tense stance. It was easy to pick out when he was normally so relaxed around everyone. There was no doubt in my mind that he really didn't like Phil. I could only assume that it was because Phil was obviously flirting with me right after the end of the game. He must not have liked the idea of the two of us being together. He obviously didn't know that I hadn't wanted this. I tried to figure out something to say to them but I couldn't figure out for the life of me what would have been acceptable.

"Shall we move on and get the water?" Phil offered, sensing how awkward things had gotten. "I doubt your parents will be happy if I keep you too long."

"Umm…" I muttered dumbly.

"I can escort her back," Cedric said, pulling an arm around my shoulders. "Thank you."

Phil finally smiled. "Oh, I see. This is the boyfriend, isn't it?"

"Yes," I said guiltily.

Had I accidentally been leading him on? Phil smiled again. "That makes sense. That's nice," he said. Maybe he wasn't bitter about things. "How long have you two been together?"

"Uh… a while," I answered stupidly.

I didn't even know our anniversary date. "About ten months, I think," Cedric answered for me. "There really wasn't an official date."

"Sweet. It genuinely is," Phil said. I could tell that he was being honest. He then turned to Cedric. "In that case, I'm sorry about earlier."

My eyebrow shot up. I was honestly shocked that Phil was apologizing to Cedric for having flirted with me when he hadn't even known that we were dating. "No apology necessary. I'm sure you didn't know," Cedric said, waving his worry off.

"No, I didn't," Phil said.

"Sorry. It seemed like a weird thing just to blurt out to someone you just met," I said.

"It would have been," Phil agreed, laughing. "No hard feelings then?"

"None at all," Cedric said. "Well-played game."

"Thank you," Phil said.

As Phil prepared to leave, I stepped in front of him. I didn't want him to feel like this had been a complete waste of time for him. "It really was nice to meet you. If you're still willing, I would love to talk about how you fell into playing in the professional league so young. I think I'd love to do it but I don't want to use Dad's name to get me there. I want it to be on skill," I explained.

"That's a noble feeling you have," Phil said, smiling at me. "Send me an owl if you ever want to talk about it. They'll find me."

"Okay," I said.

"And I have a feeling we may all be seeing each other sooner than expected," Phil added, smiling mysteriously.

"More of that damned mystery," I teased.

Phil laughed. "Goodnight, Tara. Cedric."

"Night, Phil. See you around, I guess," I said.

"Good to meet you," Cedric said.

The three of us moved forward and shook hands with each other. Phil gave me a quick hug before heading off. He had actually been quite nice to me today. Although I did realize after he had left that I should have asked him not to mention my meeting with Cedric to Dad. Oh well... I would figure things out later. It wasn't long before the crowd noticed who Phil was and surrounded him excitedly. I laughed. He would be just fine without me. I turned back to Cedric, who was watching the entire thing bemusedly.

"At least you found me," I teased Cedric, turning back to him.

"Almost thought I wouldn't, considering the crowds," Cedric said.

There were so many people around us, we almost had to shout to hear each other. "Maybe we should try heading somewhere a little quieter," I offered.

"Works for me," Cedric said.

As we walked off, I glanced up at Cedric. "You're not mad?" I asked curiously.

"That someone else has noticed you're pretty?" Cedric asked. I merely stared at him. He smiled at me. "Not particularly. I expected it would only be a matter of time. Phil Troy doesn't know you and he certainly doesn't know me. Nothing to be angry about."

For some reason, I flashed back to earlier in the evening when we had been entering the stadium. Fred had told me that I was pretty and that was the reason that Phil Troy was speaking to me. Even Mom had mentioned that I was big-headed about everything other than the way I looked. She, too, agreed that I was pretty and other people were starting to notice it. How long ago had Cedric noticed my appearance? How many other people had noticed? Was this a recent event? Cedric must have noticed my confusion.

"You're surprised that people have noticed you're pretty?" Cedric asked.

"Guess I never thought about it," I said dumbly.

"You are, Tara. I'm not the first person to notice and I'm certainly not the last," Cedric said, laughing.

"Well I somehow doubt that I'll ever see Phil Troy again, so I wouldn't worry about that," I told him.

Cedric laughed again. "That's not who I was talking about."

My head snapped over to him. "What? Who are you talking about?" I asked, completely lost.

Cedric met my eyes, looking dumbfounded. "You're joking."

"No."

"You're adorable, Tara. You really are," Cedric said, throwing an arm over my shoulders. I let out a puff of breath in annoyance. "I guess you need someone to blatantly say it."

"Yes, I do, but who are you talking about?" I asked.

Cedric shook his head. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure it'll come out eventually."

"You're so frustrating," I snapped.

"You really want to know that badly?" Cedric asked.

As we walked, I remained silent. I thought about it for a little while. Did I really want to know who else had a crush on me? Apparently, Cedric knew, but I definitely didn't. I didn't have the slightest clue. No, I was pretty sure that I didn't want to know who it was. Because it might have ended up changing the way I looked at or interacted with someone. Either a friend or enemy or complete stranger. It could have made things awkward. I would have rather not known at all. Besides, I cared about Cedric. That was who mattered to me.

"No. I don't care," I said firmly.

"Good answer," Cedric said teasingly, making us both laugh. "Have you honestly never noticed that you were pretty?"

"Guess I never thought about it," I answered honestly. "I don't know, when it came to you, I always thought that it was my personality you were attracted to. I thought that you always thought of me like a little sister."

"For a while I did," Cedric admitted.

"When did it change?" I asked curiously.

"It was in your Second Year," Cedric said. I nodded at him. That was when I had started to get the idea that he might have liked me. "When Gilderoy Lockhart was mentioning something about you and Harry possibly being together. Up until then, you'd just been my friend. But the thought of having to see the two of you together, I think I realized that I cared."

Huh... So, it had been the idea of Harry and me possibly being together that had driven him to realize his feelings for me. I guessed there was one thing to thank Gilderoy Lockhart for. "Trust me when I tell you that you never have to worry about that," I told Cedric.

"I didn't think so. What about you? When did your feelings change?"

"Are you joking?"

"What?"

"They never changed, you dope!" I said, whacking him on the shoulder. "I had a crush on you from the moment we met in Madam Malkin's."

Cedric looked at me for a moment. Was he really that clueless? His face suddenly turned up in a grin. "Oh, I know. I just wanted to hear you say it," he teased.

"Cedric!" I gasped, embarrassed. "You knew this entire time?"

He was laughing at the bewildered look on my face. I was such a moron. "You didn't exactly hide it very well," Cedric pointed out. Yeah, he was right about that. "I only had a hunch during your First Year but you were just a kid then. I thought you'd grow out of it." There was no way that I would have ever grown out of that monstrous crush. "But… yes… I always had a feeling."

"That's mortifying," I mumbled.

"Turned out to be not such a bad thing," Cedric said.

There was absolutely no way that I would have grown out of my crush on him. I would have always needed some time to just explore our relationship and see what could have come of it. But I was still furious that he had known about my crush. I'd thought that I'd hid it better than I had. I scoffed as Cedric began laughing louder and louder. I whacked him on the stomach as he continued to laugh. My face burned a bright red. I tried to walk away from him but his hand wrapped around my wrist, pulling me back into him, where our lips instantly met in a surprisingly heated kiss.

We remained locked together, largely ignored by the mostly inebriated crowd, for a few seconds before Cedric released me, grinning down at me. "See? It all worked out," Cedric said.

"That's still embarrassing," I hissed.

"Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"Why do you have to ruin the surprise?" Cedric shot back.

"I hate surprises," I mumbled.

"Shut up," Cedric said.

"Hey!" I gasped.

There was no need to be rude... We both laughed again as Cedric wrapped an arm around my lower back and pulled me along with him. We brushed past a number of celebrating families and couples, all darting back and forth over the yard. We laughed at the sight of a few young men staggering around, trying to impress a few of who I assumed were the Bulgarian Veela. I rolled my eyes at them as Cedric tugged me toward the trees, away from the bulk of the crowds.

"I still can't believe you knew," I growled.

"You're so bitter about it," Cedric laughed.

"I never wanted you to know. That's the point of a crush. They're supposed to be secret."

"But what would have happened if I had never known? I might have never asked you out."

"There is that."

"I could have never done…"

Cedric trailed off, looking down at me. I smiled as Cedric leaned down over me and wrapped an arm around my lower back. He pulled me toward him in a loving kiss. I laughed softly as he pressed a simple and sweet kiss against my mouth. It was nice to be able to relax while kissing him again, finally not being nervous that Dad would see us. My heart raced slightly as my hands traveled up Cedric's stomach and latched onto his chest, wrapping around the edges of his shirt. I tightened my grip and pulled him back a few steps into the darker parts of the woods.

The corners of his lips turned up against mine in a smile, likely at my rather bold actions. But if this was one of the only moments we would get until we were back at Hogwarts - under the watchful eyes of the teachers - I would enjoy it. I could feel his hands slip underneath my Ireland shirt to rest in the dip of the small of my back. My breath came out in a slight pant as he flattened his hands against my spine. His right hand dropped after a moment to rest against the back of my thigh. He walked up against me, pushing me back into the tree almost roughly. I grunted my approval.

My heart was racing in my chest. This was definitely one of the more heated moments we'd had. That wasn't even to mention how things became more and more heated. My heart was hammering against my ribs almost painfully. But the moment was too exciting to stop. I giggled softly as Cedric left my mouth for a moment. Much to my surprise, his mouth dropped over my cheeks and trailed down over my throat. My hands dropped off of his shirt against their own will. I was about to close my eyes when I noticed something.

"Whoa," I gasped, pushing Cedric back. He stared at me in surprise. "The Irish look like they're having a seriously good time over there."

There were screams and bangs echoing from all over the camp. Cedric turned back to see what was going on. His head tilted to the side. "Does that seem a little… manic to you?" he asked me slowly.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Maybe we should head back," Cedric said, grabbing my arm and pulling me away.

"They're heading toward our tent," I said.

"Come on. Your parents will see them coming."

"Harry… He's still there. They're all still there."

"Tara, we need to go," Cedric said. But I couldn't leave my friends and family in the middle of danger. Knowing that it was a stupid move, I darted off. "I meant the other way! Run away from the fight, not toward it."

"All of my friends are over there. You go. I'll meet you in the woods," I told him.

"Nice try," Cedric said, wrapping an arm around my wrist. "We're going together. Come on."

If he wasn't going to let me go alone, I would just have to bring him with me. By the light of the few fires that were still burning at the campsite, I could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire. Loud jeering, roars of laughter, and drunken yells were drifting toward us; then came a burst of strong green light, which illuminated the scene. I gasped softly, almost halting in my spot.

"Are those..." I trailed off.

"Death Eaters..." Cedric muttered.

"Oh..."

A crowd of the Death Eaters, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. I squinted at them. They didn't seem to have faces. Then I realized that their heads were hooded and their faces masked. High above them, floating along in midair, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the Death Eaters on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air. Two of the figures were very small.

What the hell was going on out there? What were they doing to those people? Cedric pulled me along the crowd, just barely staying out of sight of the Death Eaters. More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice I saw one of the marchers blast a tent out of his way with his wand. Several caught fire. The screaming grew louder. People banged into me as they ran in every direction, desperate to get out of sight of the Death Eaters.

The floating people were suddenly illuminated as we passed over a burning tent and I recognized one of them: Mr. Roberts, the campsite manager. The other three looked as though they might be his wife and children. One of the marchers below flipped Mrs. Roberts upside down with his wand; her nightdress fell down to reveal voluminous drawers and she struggled to cover herself up as the crowd below her screeched and hooted with glee. I nearly halted in my spot when I saw that. They weren't people. They were monsters.

"Those are the Muggles from our campsite!" I told Cedric, running toward them.

All of a sudden, I didn't care about the Death Eaters. I just cared about those helpless people. "Don't go toward them!" Cedric yelled, just barely grabbing me in time. I turned back to him. "Everyone will be heading away from them. All of your friends will be somewhere else. It's likely that our parents will be heading out there."

"That's sick," I muttered, watching the smallest Muggle child, who had begun to spin like a top, sixty feet above the ground, his head flopping limply from side to side. "That is really sick..."

"That's who they are," Cedric said.

"They need help," I gasped.

"Trust me, Tara. Someone's going to help them."

"Assholes."

"They're monsters. Come on," Cedric said, pulling me with him.

The last thing I wanted was to leave those Muggles strung up there, but I knew in the back of my mind that I couldn't fight all of the Death Eaters. I was nowhere near powerful enough. Everyone was already sprinting away toward the oncoming marchers. I was halted dead in my spot, unsure of where we were supposed to go. I could see that Ministry wizards were dashing from every direction toward the source of the trouble. My parents must have been somewhere in there. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was coming ever closer.

"Where should we go?" I asked Cedric desperately.

"The woods. Let's try and get some cover," Cedric said.

"Where do you think your father is?" I asked, suddenly remembering that he had family here, too.

"Probably over there," Cedric said, pointing to the Death Eaters.

Cedric tightened his grip on me and tugged me after him again. We both looked back as we reached the trees. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was larger than ever; I could see the Ministry wizards trying to get through it to the hooded wizards in the center, but they were having great difficulty. It looked as though they were scared to perform any spell that might make the Roberts family fall. If the family fell there was a good chance that they would die. They were incredibly high up in the air.

The colored lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Dark figures were blundering through the trees; children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air. I looked back and forth, desperately trying to find any of my family or friends. Where was everyone? As we tried to get deeper into the woods, I felt myself being pushed hither and thither by people whose faces I could not see.

Suddenly I noticed one of the hooded figures pulling off to the side of their group. My eyebrow arched. What the hell were they doing? Why weren't they with the rest of their friends? I merely stared at them for a moment. But in that one moment, I found myself getting torn away from Cedric by one of the running wizards. I shouted for Cedric but my voice was lost in the shrieking crowd. It took me a few moments but I finally pulled myself out of the crowd. I stumbled back a few steps, somehow getting further and further from the crowd.

I'd thought that I might have been able to spot Cedric from a distance, but instead, I had managed to find myself locked in a staring contest with one of the hooded figures. My hand dropped to my wand, but I wasn't fast enough. The Death Eater launched a spell at me that I couldn't quite hear. But I felt it hit me. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that I no longer knew where I was. White-hot knives were piercing every inch of my skin, my head was surely going to burst with pain; I was screaming more loudly than I'd ever screamed in my life.

There was a vague sound of someone coming near me. " _Expelliarmus!_ " There was a shout of pain and the sound of a scuffle. A few seconds later, I could feel someone pressing against my face. "Tara! Tara! Are you all right?"

"Shit..." I gasped, leaning up and meeting eyes with Cedric. "Oh, that hurt..."

Most of the pain had faded, but there was still a lasting burning feeling. "You're alright. Come on. You're alright," Cedric said, trying to drag me back to my feet.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

"A spell. I'm not exactly sure what happened or which one they used," Cedric said. "But it was cruel. Come on."

"Who did it?" I asked breathlessly.

"I don't know. I hit them and they vanished," Cedric said.

"Why did you cast a spell at them? You're underage," I said.

Cedric stared at me as if I had just lost my mind. "You honestly think that's what was on my mind when I saw you on the ground, writhing in pain?" Cedric asked me. I merely stared at him. I was concerned about him using underage wizardry... "Don't be nuts, Tara. I don't care about underage wizardry. I just care about you. How are you feeling?"

"Tired but better," I said.

"Come on. Let's get to the woods," Cedric said.

As we both rose to our feet and walked off, I glanced around, desperate to know where the Death Eater that had attacked me had gone. But there was no sign of him anymore. Cedric must have scared the man off. He wrapped an arm around my back, trying to keep me upright, as we walked off. Cedric kept his wand up and at the ready, just in case someone else tries to find us. We were walking deeper into the woods, both breathing heavily, debating on if we should try somewhere else. Then I heard someone I was sure was Ron yell with pain.

"That's Ron," I gasped.

Had one of the Death Eaters found him? "How do you know?" Cedric asked.

"I've heard him scream before," I answered. "Ron!"

"Tara!" Ron screamed.

"Tara!" Harry and Hermione's voices chimed in after a moment.

"Over here! Harry, Ron, Hermione; over here!" I shouted.

"Are you alone?" Harry's voice called, slowly coming closer.

"Cedric is with me!"

"Follow our voices!" Cedric yelled.

"Call out again!" Harry called.

"Over here!" I shouted.

"What happened?" Hermione asked anxiously. "Ron, Tara, where are you? Oh, this is stupid - _lumos_!"

Her wand lit the path and I smiled at her, glad to see that they looked quite tired but otherwise unharmed. Hermione and Harry darted up to me. Ron was lying sprawled on the ground. "Tara... What happened to you? You're bloody," Hermione said.

Was I? I brushed off my forehead and blood spread all over my hand. "Someone hit me with a spell. Cedric attacked them. I'm fine. A little sore and still in some pain but I'm feeling better," I explained.

"What spell?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," I answered.

Harry grabbed me around the waist, pulling me into him. "Thank you," he told Cedric.

"Of course," Cedric answered.

"Come here," Harry told Ron.

I pulled out of Harry's grasp to allow him to help Ron back to his feet. "Ron, what happened?" I asked him.

"Tripped over a tree root," he said angrily, getting to his feet again.

"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," a drawling voice from behind us said.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I turned sharply. Cedric raised his wand, ready to curse a potential attacker. Draco Malfoy was standing alone nearby, leaning against a tree, looking utterly relaxed. My blood boiled. Was it his father who had just attacked me? His arms folded, he seemed to have been watching the scene at the campsite through a gap in the trees. Ron then told Malfoy to do something that I knew he would never have dared say in front of Mrs. Weasley - the same thing I had told him last year.

"Language, Weasley," Malfoy teased, his pale eyes glittering. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?"

Malfoy nodded at Hermione, and at the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of green light momentarily lit the trees around us. We all gasped slightly, turning around to see what was happening. I could vaguely hear the Death Eaters chanting something in what I assumed was Latin. There were still screams and bangs echoing from all over the campsite. Fires still appeared to be raging as the Ministry workers tried to end the fight.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked Malfoy defiantly.

"Granger, they're after Muggles. D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around... they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh," Malfoy told her.

"Hermione's a witch," Harry snarled.

"Have it your own way, Potter," Malfoy said, grinning maliciously. "If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."

"You watch your mouth!" Ron shouted.

Everybody present knew that 'Mudblood' was a very offensive term for a witch or wizard of Muggle parentage. I noticed Cedric take a slightly protective stance in front of Hermione, almost shielding her from Malfoy's view. Malfoy's gaze looked over the rest of us. His eyes briefly flitted over Ron and Harry before coming to a rest on me. They briefly flickered onto Cedric - giving him a sharp glare - before shifting back to me. They seemed to be firmly focused on the blood trail going across my forehead.

"You look a little relaxed, Malfoy," I sneered.

"I've got nothing to worry about. Neither do you," Malfoy replied.

"Not even for a blood traitor?" I asked.

His eyes traveled up across the cut on my forehead again as his lips formed a smirk. "On second thought, maybe you do have something to worry about," he said.

"Never mind, Ron, Tara," Hermione said quickly.

She reached over and seized Ron's arm to restrain him as he took a step toward Malfoy. Cedric had an arm wrapped back around my waist as I stared at Malfoy. Partially to keep me from attacking him and partially to keep me upright. My head was still spinning from the Death Eater attack slightly. Suddenly there came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than anything I had heard so far. Several people nearby screamed. I jumped slightly. Malfoy chuckled softly.

"Scare easily, don't they? I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to - trying to rescue the Muggles?" Malfoy asked us lazily.

My temper was rising at his taunts. "Where are your parents? Out there wearing masks, are they?" Harry asked Malfoy.

Malfoy turned his face to Harry, still smiling. "Well... if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?"

"We all know they are. Might as well admit it," I hissed disgustedly.

They had been back in the day and likely still were. Malfoy opened his mouth to say something back to me when he was cut off. "Oh come on, let's go and find the others," Hermione said, throwing a disgusted look at Malfoy.

"Keep that big bushy head down, Granger," Malfoy sneered.

"Asshole," I snapped.

"Come on," Hermione repeated, and she pulled Harry, Ron, and me up the path again.

Cedric followed us closely. "Where are the others?" I asked, finally noticing that Fred, George, and Ginny were missing.

As were the rest of the Weasley's and my own parents. But I had assumed that the adults had taken off to try and fight the Death Eaters. "Fred and George took Ginny and headed off," Ron explained. I sucked in a breath. Had they made it to safety? "Everyone else was heading for the Roberts' to try and save them from the people in masks. Did you see them?"

"Yeah. We did," I answered.

"I'll bet you anything his dad is one of that masked lot!" Ron said hotly.

Of course, he was talking about Malfoy again. Ron likely hated Malfoy more than any of the rest of us did. "Of course he is! He was a Death Eater back in the day!" I shouted back.

"A what?" Ron asked.

"They were -"

"Later, Cedric," I interrupted.

It would take Ron forever to figure out what we were talking about. "Well, with any luck, the Ministry will catch him!" Hermione said fervently. "Oh, I can't believe this. Where have the others got to?"

Fred, George, and Ginny were nowhere to be seen, though the path was packed with plenty of other people, all looking nervously over their shoulders toward the commotion back at the campsite. Ron mentioned to us that they had lost the others not long after they had headed toward the woods. I could only hope that they were safe and far from here. A huddle of teenagers in pajamas was arguing vociferously a little way along the path. When they saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, Cedric, and me, a girl with thick curly hair turned and ran up to us.

"Oü est Madame Maxime?" she asked. "Nous l'avons perdue -"

"Er - what?" Ron asked.

"We're not from Beauxbatons. Hogwarts," I explained to the girls, motioning down our line.

"Oh..." The girl who had spoken turned her back on us, and as they walked on I distinctly heard her say, "Ogwarts."

 _Didn't I just say that?_ I rolled my eyes. "Beauxbatons," Hermione muttered.

"Sorry?" Harry asked.

"They must go to Beauxbatons. You know... Beauxbatons Academy of Magic..." Hermione said. The boys stared at her blankly. "I read about it in An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe."

"Oh... yeah... right," Harry said.

They were such morons. They knew that there were other wizarding schools! "It's in France. Another magical school. I guess Madam Maxine is the headmistress," I explained.

"Fred and George can't have gone that far," Ron said, pulling out his wand, lighting it like Hermione's, and squinting up the path.

" _Lumos_ ," I said, lighting my own wand. Cedric followed suit a moment later.

Harry dug in the pockets of his jacket for his own wand - but it didn't seem to be there. The only thing he pulled out was his Omnioculars. "Ah, no, I don't believe it... I've lost my wand!" Harry barked.

"You're kidding!" Ron gasped.

"What?" I hissed.

Of all of the times he could have lost something, it had to be right now and it had to be his wand. He was a complete and utter moron. If I wasn't already concerned about underage wizardry, I would have hexed him for being such an idiot. Ron, Hermione, Cedric, and I raised our wands high enough to spread the narrow beams of light farther on the ground. I could only hope that it was around here somewhere. We needed everyone to be armed just in case. Harry looked all around us, but his wand was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe it's back in the tent," Ron said.

"Maybe it fell out of your pocket when we were running?" Hermione suggested anxiously.

"Yeah, maybe..." Harry said.

But we all knew that it hadn't fallen out. Witches and wizards were notoriously secure when it came to knowing where they had put their wands. I was sure that my wand had only been out of my possession once - in Second Year when Tom Riddle had briefly snatched it. Harry usually kept his wand with him at all times in the Wizarding World, and finding yourself without a wand in the midst of a scene like this was enough to make any witch or wizard feel very vulnerable.

"Where are my parents?" I asked suddenly, remembering that they weren't with us.

"They went off with the Ministry wizards to help," Harry explained.

At least I knew that they were surrounded by other people. They were all going to be out there protecting each other. Cedric wrapped a hand around my wrist, clearly sensing my nerves. A rustling noise nearby made all five of us jump. I whipped back around to see that Winky the house-elf was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes nearby. She was moving in a most peculiar fashion, apparently with great difficulty; it was as though someone invisible was trying to hold her back. I arched a brow. What was that about?

"There is bad wizards about!" Winky squeaked distractedly as she leaned forward and labored to keep running. "People high - high in the air! Winky is getting out of the way!"

And she disappeared into the trees on the other side of the path, panting and squeaking as she fought the force that was restraining her. "What's up with her?" Ron asked, looking curiously after Winky. "Why can't she run properly?"

"Bet she didn't ask permission to hide," Harry said.

That made perfect sense. House-elf's new how much trouble they would get in for blatantly ignoring orders from their masters. But Winky didn't exactly seem like she had an understanding master. Mr. Crouch had never seemed very understanding. Hadn't he forced her to go up to the Top Box without caring about her fear of heights? I was thinking of Dobby: Every time he had tried to do something the Malfoy's wouldn't like, the house-elf had been forced to start beating himself up.

"You know, house-elves get a very raw deal! It's slavery, that's what it is! That Mr. Crouch made her go up to the top of the stadium, and she was terrified, and he's got her bewitched so she can't even run when they start trampling tents!" Hermione cried indignantly. Cedric gave me a glance and I nodded at him. That was just the way that she was. "Why doesn't anyone do something about it?"

"Well, the elves are happy, aren't they? You heard old Winky back at the match... 'House-elves is not supposed to have fun'... that's what she likes, being bossed around..." Ron said.

"It's people like you, Ron," Hermione began hotly, "who prop up rotten and unjust systems, just because they're too lazy to -"

"Is this seriously the time to be having this argument?" I interrupted them angrily.

Another loud bang echoed from the edge of the wood. "Let's just keep moving, shall we?" Ron offered, and I saw him glance edgily at Hermione.

Perhaps there was truth in what Malfoy had said; perhaps Hermione was in more danger than we were. No matter what, Ron and myself were from old Pureblooded families. We were likely in very little danger. Didn't Voldemort want to preserve magical blood, no matter who they were? Harry and Cedric were Half-Blood's. Harry was only in danger because of his name. But in the darkness, it would have been hard to make him out. Would they know that Hermione was a Muggle-Born? We set off again, Harry still searching his pockets, even though we all knew his wand wasn't there.

We followed the dark path deeper into the wood, still keeping an eye out for Fred, George, and Ginny. We passed a group of goblins who were cackling over a sack of gold that they had undoubtedly won betting on the match, and who seemed quite unperturbed by the trouble at the campsite. Further still along the path, we walked into a patch of silvery light, and when we looked through the trees, we saw three tall and beautiful Veela standing in a clearing, surrounded by a gaggle of young wizards, all of whom were talking very loudly.

Did they not realize that a Death Eater attack was happening just yards away? "I pull down about a hundred sacks of Galleons a year! I'm a dragon killer for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures," one of them shouted.

"No, you're not!" his friend yelled. "You're a dishwasher at the Leaky Cauldron... but I'm a vampire hunter, I've killed about ninety so far -"

A third young wizard, whose pimples were visible even by the dim, silvery light of the Veela, now cut in, "I'm about to become the youngest ever Minister of Magic, I am."

Harry and I snorted with laughter. The others were merely staring at us. We both recognized the pimply wizard: His name was Stan Shunpike, and he was, in fact, a conductor on the triple-decker Knight Bus. We had met him when we were on our way to the Leaky Cauldron last year at the end of summer when Harry had blown up his Aunt Marge. Stan was sweet if not a little clueless. Certainly not the next Minister of Magic. I turned to tell Cedric that, but Ron's voice distracted me.

His face had gone oddly slack, and next second Ron was yelling, "Did I tell you I've invented a broomstick that'll reach Jupiter?"

"Oh, shut up!" I barked.

"Honestly!" Hermione hissed, and she and Harry grabbed Ron firmly by the arms, wheeled him around, and marched him away.

Cedric was laughing quietly as I reached for his hand and pulled him with me. By the time the sounds of the Veela and their admirers had faded completely, we were in the very heart of the wood. I wondered how the Veela weren't even slightly worried about running into the woods. Did they think their beauty would keep the Death Eaters away? We seemed to be alone now; everything was much quieter. I looked around. As all began looking around for a sign of what to do, I glanced at Cedric. Something had occurred to me.

"Did those girls not affect you?" I asked him quietly.

"The Veela?" Cedric asked.

"Yeah."

Cedric merely stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. "Don't think so," he answered. "I mean, like everyone else I felt something when the Veela started to sing and dance. But I don't feel the need to dive off the stadium balcony to try and impress them." I smiled brilliantly. _How is he even a real person?_ Cedric grinned down at me. "I have someone else to impress."

"You just did," I told him honestly. "You're a good man, Cedric Diggory."

"You're worth it, Tara Nox."

"I think you want something," I teased.

Cedric chuckled softly, pulling me into him and brushing some blood off my forehead. "You were just hit by some terrible spell. The only thing I want right now is for you to be okay."

"I'll feel better once I've found my parents," I said.

"They'll be okay, Tara. They're probably out with the Weasley's and maybe my father."

My eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even think about him," I gasped.

I'd completely forgotten that Cedric's father was likely out there fighting the Death Eaters too. "That's alright. I think you've had a few more things to be concerned about," Cedric said, obviously referencing the Death Eater attack. "He'll be okay. I'm sure he's with everyone else."

"I reckon we can just wait here, you know. We'll hear anyone coming a mile off," Harry suggested.

Everyone was already nodding their agreement. The words were hardly out of his mouth when Ludo Bagman emerged from behind a tree right ahead of us. I whipped back around in surprise. Even by the feeble light of the four wands, I could see that a great change had come over Bagman. He no longer looked buoyant and rosy-faced; there was no more spring in his step. He looked very white and strained. What had happened to him? Was it from the attack? Why was he not helping the Roberts' or the rest of the Ministry wizards?

"Who's that?" Bagman asked, blinking down at us, trying to make out our faces. "What are you doing in here, all alone?"

We all looked at one another, surprised. He didn't know what was going on... "Ludo, you haven't seen the attack?" Cedric asked him quietly.

He looked bewildered. "Well - there's a sort of riot going on," Ron said.

Bagman stared at him. "What?"

"At the campsite... some people have got hold of a family of Muggles..."

Bagman swore loudly. "Damn them!" he said, looking quite distracted, and without another word, he Disapparated with a small pop.

"Not exactly on top of things, Mr. Bagman, is he?" Hermione said, frowning.

There was no doubt that Bagman was a good personality, but was absolutely clueless about everything having to do with the Ministry. "He was a great Beater, though," Ron said, leading the way off the path into a small clearing, and sitting down on a patch of dry grass at the foot of a tree.

"No, he was on a terrible team," I said.

"The Wimbourne Wasps won the league three times in a row while he was with them," Ron snapped back.

"But they never got to the Quidditch World Cup," I put in.

"So they're not as good as the Stars. Or Ireland," Ron huffed. "We all know how much you like Ireland."

Everyone laughed. I rolled my eyes. Cedric leaned into me and wrapped an arm over my shoulder. "Who can blame him, really?"

"Just remember that I liked you first. I still like you," I told him, giving him a slight hug.

Ron threw a small rock at me that I ignored. They were never going to get over my relationship with him. In the meantime, Ron took his small figure of Krum out of his pocket, set it down on the ground, and watched it walk around. Like the real Krum, the model was slightly duck-footed and round-shouldered, much less impressive on his splayed feet than on his broomstick. I was listening for noise from the campsite. Everything seemed much quieter; perhaps the riot was over. Or maybe we had gotten too far away to hear anything.

"I hope the others are okay," Hermione said after a while.

"They'll be fine," Ron said.

"There's gonna be a lot of people out there all looking out for each other," I added.

"Imagine if your dad catches Lucius Malfoy," Harry said, sitting down next to Ron and watching the small figure of Krum slouching over the fallen leaves. Cedric took a seat on the grass with me, opposite them. "He's always said he'd like to get something on him."

"That'd wipe the smirk off old Draco's face, all right," Ron said.

"Lucius Malfoy's got way too many strings to pull in the Ministry. It's not good enough for him just to get caught. Something truly terrible would have to happen with him in the center of it," I said.

"This isn't terrible, is it?" Cedric asked me.

Not compared to what Lucius Malfoy would really have to do to get himself in trouble. "Just a touch," I said, looking over my shoulder worriedly. "Think they'll be okay?"

"Everyone's gonna be okay," Cedric said.

That was all I had to keep telling myself. Everyone was going to be okay. My parents, the rest of the Weasley's, and all of my other friends who had been at the Quidditch World Cup. I reached over and locked hands with Cedric as we all sat together, wands at the ready in our laps. After a while, I leaned over and pressed my head down against Cedric's shoulder. Now I was tired. I'd been anticipating being asleep by now. Instead, we sat in silence, waiting for any word that the attack was over.

"Those poor Muggles, though. What if they can't get them down?" Hermione asked nervously.

"They will. They'll find a way," Ron said reassuringly.

"Mad, though, to do something like that when the whole Ministry of Magic's out here tonight! I mean, how do they expect to get away with it?" Hermione asked curiously. "Do you think they've been drinking, or are they just -"

But she broke off abruptly and looked over her shoulder. Harry and Ron looked quickly around too. I followed their gaze. For a moment I didn't see it. That was when I realized that there wasn't anything to see. Instead, there was a sound that I could barely make out over the deafening silence. It sounded as though someone was staggering toward our clearing. I tensed up slightly. We waited, listening to the sounds of the uneven steps behind the dark trees. But the footsteps came to a sudden halt.

"Hello?" Harry called.

There was silence. It was the only answer we got. I got to my feet to see if I could figure out what was going on. Cedric followed a moment later. He raised his wand but the faint light from his wand barely showed the shadows of the tree. Harry then got to his feet and peered around the tree. It was too dark to see very far, even with the light coming from our wands, but I could sense somebody standing just beyond the range of my vision. Someone was here. Was it one of the Death Eaters or someone too scared to try and find safety?

"Who's there?" Harry asked.

I was about to yell at Harry for asking such a stupid question. When had anyone ever answered that question before? That was usually a sign to stay silent. For a split second, I saw the shadow of a man. He had a mop of dark hair but that was all I saw before he vanished. And then, without warning, the silence was rent by a voice unlike any we had heard in the wood; and it uttered, not a panicked shout, but what sounded like a spell.

"MORSMORDRE!"

Immediately I jumped back. I had already been hit by one spell today from one of the Death Eaters. I wasn't overly fond of getting hit by another one. Cedric threw me back behind him, obviously thinking the same thing I was. The last one had hurt me badly enough. From the spell, something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness my eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky. I stepped back to try and see what had just happened.

"What the - ?" Ron gasped as he sprang to his feet again, staring up at the thing that had appeared.

"The hell was that? I asked.

For a split second, I thought it was another leprechaun formation. But that was stupid. That was a spell from one of the Death Eaters. This wasn't anything friendly. Then I realized that it was a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. The snake appeared to be slowly slithering out of the skull's mouth.

"Merlin..." I gasped. Anyone raised in the Wizarding World would know what that was. "That's the -"

"Dark Mark..." Cedric finished.

"Tara," Harry said, "what is -?"

He never got to ask his question. Because suddenly, the wood all around us erupted with screams. Of course. It must have been over a decade since the last time anyone had seen the Dark Mark so obviously displayed. Harry obviously didn't understand why, but the only possible cause for all of those screams was the sudden appearance of the Dark Mark, which had now risen high enough to illuminate the entire wood like some grisly neon sign. I scanned the darkness for the person who had conjured the skull, but I couldn't see anyone.

"Who's there?" Harry called again.

"Harry, come on, move!" Hermione said, seizing the collar of his jacket and tugging him backward.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked, probably startled to see her face so white and terrified.

"It's the Dark Mark, Harry!" Hermione moaned, pulling him as hard as she could. "You-Know-Who's sign!"

"Voldemort's - Harry, come on!" Ron barked.

Cedric wrapped an arm around my wrist to pull me off with him. "Those are his Death Eaters out there! His followers! They're marking his return!" I gasped, motioning around us.

The Death Eaters and Dark Mark together in a single night... That didn't mark anything good. There was certainly no coincidence in those two events happening within minutes. I turned - Ron was hurriedly scooping up his miniature Krum - the five of us started across the clearing. I noticed that Cedric kept himself in front of everyone else, but before we had taken a few hurried steps, a series of popping noises announced the arrival of twenty wizards, appearing from thin air, surrounding them.

For a moment I thought that they might have been the Death Eaters. I opened my mouth to scream at the others to arm themselves and fight back as hard as they could. Someone would come to our aid in time. I had to believe that. Cedric pushed me back a step. I whirled around, and in an instant, I registered two facts: Each of those wizards had his wand out, and every wand was pointing right at myself, Harry, Cedric, Ron, and Hermione. That was when I realized that we were all trying to avoid the same people.

Without pausing to think, Harry and I yelled, "DUCK!"

Harry seized Ron and Hermione and pulled them down onto the ground. I grabbed Cedric with me. " _STUPEFY_!" twenty voices roared.

There was a blinding series of flashes and I felt the hair on my head ripple as though a powerful wind had swept the clearing. I could feel Cedric's arm over my head, protecting me from the blasts of the spells. Raising my head a fraction of an inch - still mildly terrified that a spell might hit me straight in the face - I saw jets of fiery red light flying over us from the wizards' wands, crossing one another, bouncing off tree trunks, rebounding into the darkness. It was a good thing that we had all dropped. I hoped that no one else was standing near us.

"Stop!" a voice I recognized yelled. "STOP! That's my son!"

It was Mr. Weasley. I was sure that it was. Ron raised his head first to see his father. My hair stopped blowing about. I raised my head a little higher. I was still desperately hoping that I wouldn't get whacked in the face by one of the spells. I'd had it with getting injured. The wizard in front of me had lowered his wand. He was staring at us blankly. I wanted to motion to Harry' scar, letting them know that we weren't going to hurt them. I rolled over and saw Mr. Weasley striding toward us, looking terrified.

"Ron - Harry," Mr. Weasley's voice sounded shaky, "Hermione - are you all right? Tara! You're here. We were worried."

"Yeah. I... ran into a friend..." I muttered stupidly, looking at Cedric.

"Tara!" Dad's voice yelled.

"There you are!" Mom shouted.

They were going to kill me once they realized that I had snuck out just to meet up with Cedric in the middle of the night after I had specifically promised that I wouldn't see him for another year. Both of my parents ran up, breaking through the crowd of Ministry wizards, to smash into me and envelope me in bone-crushing hugs. That was when I realized that I had been holding Cedric's hand and his arm had been firmly wrapped around me to protect me from any free-flying spells. They would have definitely seen that.

Once they had released me, they seemed to finally realize who I was standing with. "You were with each other?" Dad asked, looking between Cedric and myself.

"Wait a second," I gasped. This was the wrong time for another fight. "It's not what you -"

"Thank you," Dad interrupted me, speaking to Cedric.

"What?" I asked, baffled.

Even Cedric looked confused. "Thank you for watching out for her," Dad told him.

Finally, Cedric seemed to be able to shake himself of his confusion. "Of course. There's no way that I was going to leave her," he told my parents.

"Thank you," Mom gasped, wrapping Cedric in a hug.

"Out of the way, Arthur," a cold, curt voice said.

It was enough to break us all apart. Mom stepped back from Cedric, allowing him to come to stand at my side. I supposed that we would deal with their odd reaction to our sneaking out to be together later. Mom and Dad turned back to see what was happening. I turned with them. The cold voice had been Mr. Crouch. He and the other Ministry wizards were closing in on us. Harry and the others got to their feet to face them. Mr. Crouch's face was taut with rage, which was somehow being directed at us.

"Which of you did it?" Mr. Crouch snapped, his sharp eyes darting between us. "Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?"

"We didn't do that!" Harry yelled, gesturing up at the skull.

"Are you nuts?" I asked loudly. He was the Minister of Magic. He didn't understand that we couldn't have done that? "That's way beyond the magic of a Fourth Year!"

"We didn't do anything!" Ron yelled, rubbing his elbow and looking indignantly at his father. "What did you want to attack us for?"

"Do not lie, sir!" Mr. Crouch yelled. His wand was still pointing directly at Ron, and his eyes were popping - he looked slightly mad. "You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!"

"Barty," a witch in a long woolen dressing gown whispered, "they're kids, Barty, they'd never have been able to -"

"Where did the Mark come from, you five?" Mr. Weasley asked quickly.

"Over there," Hermione said shakily, pointing at the place where we had heard the voice. "There was someone behind the trees... they shouted words - an incantation -"

"Oh, stood over there, did they?" Mr. Crouch asked her nastily, turning his popping eyes on Hermione now, disbelief etched all over his face. "Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned, missy -"

"Don't be stupid! Everyone knows how incantations work!" I shouted, completely forgetting that I was talking to the Minister of Magic. "He said something like... Mordes... Mordesmore... I don't know. Something like that."

"Here, look." Mr. Diggory - whom Cedric had held a brief reunion with just moments before - held up a wand and showed it to Mr. Weasley. "Had it in her hand. So that's clause three of the Code of Wand Use broken, for a start. No non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand."

"Dad, are you losing your mind?" Cedric asked. "That's Harry Potter. I was with them the entire time."

"Stay out of this," Mr. Diggory snapped at his son.

"You're accusing your own son?" Dad asked Mr. Diggory.

Mr. Diggory sneered at Dad, ignoring the looks he was getting from Cedric. "I'm gathering the facts," Mr. Diggory said.

That wasn't exactly saying that he wasn't blaming his son. I knew Cedric and I knew Mr. Diggory. I knew that he loved his son but there was no way that he wasn't going to just believe him. That wasn't fair. Just then there was another pop and Ludo Bagman Apparated right next to Mr. Weasley. I jumped back in surprise. Looking breathless and disorientated, Bagman spun on the spot, goggling upward at the emerald-green skull. He looked horrified at the sight of it. He really was behind on things.

"The Dark Mark!" Bagman panted, almost trampling Winky as he turned inquiringly to his colleagues. "Who did it? Did you get them? Barty! What's going on?"

For a bunch of adults who were running the Ministry of Magic, they really didn't have much of an idea what was going on. We were the ones who had heard the spell for the Dark Mark get cast. We were here for the entire thing. Bagman hadn't even known that there was an attack. Mr. Crouch had only just appeared. Not to mention that Mr. Crouch had returned empty-handed. He - like everyone else - had no idea what was happening. His face was still ghostly white, and his hands and his toothbrush mustache were both twitching.

"Where have you been, Barty? Why weren't you at the match?" Bagman asked, not giving him a chance to answer before continuing. "Your elf was saving you a seat too - gulping gargoyles!" Bagman had just noticed Winky lying at his feet. "What happened to her?"

"I have been busy, Ludo," Mr. Crouch said, still talking in the same jerky fashion, barely moving his lips. "And my elf has been stunned."

"Stunned? By you lot, you mean?" Bagman asked, pointing to us. "But why - ?"

Did he seriously think that we had done this? These people were absolutely insane. They couldn't have seriously thought that we were the ones who had done this. We weren't talented enough to do this! This was something that fully grown adults had done. Not a few Fourth and Sixth Years. We were just caught in the crossfire. Comprehension dawned suddenly on Bagman's round, shiny face; he looked up at the skull, down at Winky, and then at Mr. Crouch. He seemed to have put together what they were blaming on the house-elf.

"No! Winky? Conjure the Dark Mark? She wouldn't know how! She'd need a wand, for a start!" Bagman said.

"And she had one. I found her holding one, Ludo. If it's all right with you, Mr. Crouch, I think we should hear what she's got to say for herself," Mr. Diggory said.

Cedric was staring at his father as if he had never seen him before. I assumed that he had rarely seen his father in working mode. Right now it was a little strange. Mr. Diggory had always been a little sterner than anyone else I had known but it was weird right now. Things were so tense. Mr. Crouch gave no sign that he had heard Mr. Diggory, but Mr. Diggory seemed to take his silence for assent.

Mr. Diggory raised his own wand, pointed it at Winky, and said, " _Ennervate_!"

Winky stirred feebly. I could only assume that the spell wasn't very pleasant. I had never had someone else it on me and I was hoping to keep it that way. I would rather wake up naturally. Winky's great brown eyes opened and she blinked several times in a bemused sort of way. Watched by the silent wizards, she raised herself shakily into a sitting position. For a moment I thought about moving toward her to help her back to her feet, but the others must have sensed what I was planning to do because Harry and Cedric put their arms out to stop me.

Winky caught sight of Mr. Diggory's feet, and slowly, tremulously, raised her eyes to stare up into his face; then, more slowly still, she looked up into the sky. Cedric exchanged a quick look with me and I let out a soft breath. I could already tell that this wasn't going to go well for the house-elf. Looking back at Winky, I could see the floating skull reflected twice in her enormous, glassy eyes. She gave a gasp, looked wildly around the crowded clearing, and burst into terrified sobs.

"Elf! Do you know who I am? I'm a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures!" Mr. Diggory asked sternly.

That was a rude way to speak to someone... I had always hated anyone speaking to house-elves like they were less than the dirt on the bottom of their shoes. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed that even Cedric was looking at his father in disbelief. Winky began to rock backward and forward on the ground, her breath coming in sharp bursts. She must have known that she was in trouble. I was reminded forcibly of Dobby in his moments of terrified disobedience.

"As you see, elf, the Dark Mark was conjured here a short while ago. And you were discovered moments later, right beneath it! An explanation, if you please!" Mr. Diggory yelled at her.

"I - I - I is not doing it, sir!" Winky gasped. "I is not knowing how, sir!"

"You were found with a wand in your hand!" Mr. Diggory barked, brandishing it in front of her.

As the wand caught the green light that was filling the clearing from the skull above, I recognized it. _Don't say anything, you moron_. "Hey - that's mine!" Harry gasped.

Did I not just say not to say anything? Actually, I hadn't said anything to him. I was just hoping that he would have the sense not to say anything in front of a bunch of powerful wizards. I had a feeling that Harry's wand had been the one to cast the Dark Mark and that would cause a lot of stir if his was the one to do such a thing. I wanted to slap Harry, but it was already too late. He had said it. I could only hope that people would ignore it. Everyone in the clearing turned to look at him. I rolled my eyes.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Diggory asked incredulously.

"That's my wand! I dropped it!" Harry said.

"You dropped it?" Mr. Diggory repeated in disbelief. "Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the Mark?"

"Dad!" Cedric gasped.

Was Mr. Diggory kidding? He was talking to Harry Potter! "Amos, think who you're talking to!" Mr. Weasley said, very angrily. "Is Harry Potter likely to conjure the Dark Mark?"

"Er - of course not. Sorry... carried away..." Mr. Diggory mumbled.

"I didn't drop it there, anyway," Harry said, jerking his thumb toward the trees beneath the skull. "I missed it right after we got into the wood."

"So," Mr. Diggory said, his eyes hardening as he turned to look at Winky again, cowering at his feet. "You found this wand, eh, elf? And you picked it up and thought you'd have some fun with it, did you?"

"I is not doing magic with it, sir! I is... I is... I is just picking it up, sir! i is not making the Dark Mark, sir, i is not knowing how!" Winky squealed, tears streaming down the sides of her squashed and bulbous nose.

"It wasn't her!" Hermione shouted. She looked very nervous, speaking up in front of all these Ministry wizards, yet determined all the same. "Winky's got a squeaky little voice, and the voice we heard doing the incantation was much deeper!" She looked around at the rest of us, appealing for our support. "It didn't sound anything like Winky, did it?"

"No. It definitely didn't sound like an elf," Harry said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, it was a human voice," Ron said.

"It was a man," I said suddenly. "He looked about middle-aged. Maybe a little younger."

The others turned to me, shocked. "You saw someone?" Harry asked.

"For just a split second, but I saw someone. I'm assuming that it's the same person who sent up the Dark Mark," I said.

"Well, we'll soon see," Mr. Diggory growled, looking unimpressed.

"Dad, I saw him too," Cedric said. I turned to him curiously. Had he really seen him or was he trying to back up my story? Mr. Diggory stared at his son. "They're telling the truth."

"There's a simple way of discovering the last spell a wand performed, elf, did you know that?" Mr. Diggory continued, trying to ignore us.

Why weren't they taking our word for it that something had happened and we hadn't had a thing to do it? I supposed that it was because adults never liked to believe that kids knew what we were talking about. But just this one time, we did. There really had been a man and we'd had nothing to do with it. Cedric was right... We really did have a penchant for getting ourselves into trouble. Winky trembled and shook her head frantically, her ears flapping, as Mr. Diggory raised his own wand again and placed it tip to tip with Harry's.

" _Prior Incantato!_ " Mr. Diggory roared.

I heard Hermione gasp, horrified, as a gigantic serpent-tongued skull erupted from the point where the two wands met, but it was a mere shadow of the green skull high above us; it looked as though it were made of thick gray smoke: the ghost of a spell. The spell was used to redo the final spell used by that particular wand, but at a much smaller scale.

" _Deletrius!_ " Mr. Diggory shouted, and the smoky skull vanished in a wisp of smoke.

The air was still silent. "Okay, so it could have been anyone who had picked up Harry's wand. They could have cast the spell and then tossed the wand off to the side where Winky would pick it up," I explained.

But Mr. Diggory wasn't having it. "So," Mr. Diggory said, with a kind of savage triumph, looking down upon Winky, who was still shaking convulsively.

"I is not doing it!" Winky squealed, her eyes rolling in terror. "I is not, I is not, I is not knowing how! I is a good elf, I isn't using wands, I isn't knowing how!"

"You've been caught red-handed, elf! Caught with the guilty wand in your hand!" Mr. Diggory roared.

"Elves don't use magic! They don't use wands, at least! They use their own specific kind of magic," I sneered at Mr. Diggory angrily. "I would think that you would know that, considering you work for the Control of Magical Creatures Division."

"Tara. Hush. Don't make things worse," Mom whispered, pulling me back.

"Sorry," I muttered.

Mr. Diggory was glaring at me. "He needed to hear it," Cedric told me, ignoring his father.

"Amos, think about it... precious few wizards know how to do that spell... Where would she have learned it?" Mr. Weasley asked loudly.

"Perhaps Amos is suggesting that I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Dark Mark?" Mr. Crouch asked, cold anger in every syllable.

There was a deeply unpleasant silence. Amos Diggory looked horrified. "Mr. Crouch... not... not at all."

"You have now come very close to accusing the two people in this clearing who are least likely to conjure that Mark! Harry Potter - and myself. I suppose you are familiar with the boy's story, Amos?" Mr. Crouch barked.

"Of course - everyone knows -" Mr. Diggory muttered, looking highly discomforted.

"And I trust you remember the many proofs I have given, over a long career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them?" Mr. Crouch shouted, his eyes bulging again.

"Mr. Crouch, I - I never suggested you had anything to do with it!" Mr. Diggory muttered again, now reddening behind his scrubby brown beard.

"If you accuse my elf, you accuse me, Diggory!" Mr. Crouch shouted. "Where else would she have learned to conjure it?"

"She - she might've picked it up anywhere -"

"Precisely, Amos. She might have picked it up anywhere..." Mr. Weasley said.

"Why don't we ask her?" Dad suggested.

"Winky?" Mr. Weasley asked kindly, turning to the elf, but she flinched as though he too was shouting at her. "Where exactly did you find Harry's wand?"

Winky was twisting the hem of her tea towel so violently that it was fraying beneath her fingers. "I - I is finding it... finding it there, sir... there... in the trees, sir," Winky whispered.

"You see, Amos? It's just as Tara said. Whoever conjured the Mark could have Disapparated right after they'd done it, leaving Harry's wand behind. A clever thing to do, not using their own wand, which could have betrayed them. And Winky here had the misfortune to come across the wand moments later and pick it up," Mr. Weasley reasoned.

"But then, she'd have been only a few feet away from the real culprit! Elf? Did you see anyone?" Mr. Diggory asked impatiently.

"She has a name, Dad," Cedric said quietly.

He really was one of the best people I had ever met. I smiled slightly at Cedric, astounded by the way he was willing to speak to his father in front of all of these people. I was honestly so pleased that even Cedric cared for the well-being of a house-elf that he didn't even know. Especially considering his father's treatment of them. But he was better than his father. I noticed that even Hermione was giving Cedric a slightly surprised look before her lips split into a grin. I grabbed Cedric's arm, ignoring the look I was getting from Dad. Cedric glanced down and smiled at me.

Winky began to tremble worse than ever. Her giant eyes flickered from Mr. Diggory to Ludo Bagman, and onto Mr. Crouch. Then she gulped and said, "I is seeing no one, sir... no one..."

"Amos, I am fully aware that, in the ordinary course of events, you would want to take Winky into your department for questioning. I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her," Mr. Crouch said curtly.

Something seemed a little strange about Mr. Crouch. He seemed to be a little angrier than normal. Maybe not angry, but definitely tenser than normal. Was it just because of the attack and Winky or was there something else going on? Mr. Diggory looked as though he didn't think much of that suggestion at all, but it was clear to me that Mr. Crouch was such an important member of the Ministry that he did not dare refuse him. Which was probably a good idea, considering Mr. Crouch seemed to be very angry about something right now.

"You may rest assured that she will be punished," Mr. Crouch added coldly.

"M-m-master..." Winky stammered, looking up at Mr. Crouch, her eyes brimming with tears. "M-m-master, p-p-please..."

Mr. Crouch stared back, his face somehow sharpened, each line upon it more deeply etched. There was no pity in his gaze. "Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible. I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. This means clothes," Mr. Crouch said slowly.

"No!" Winky shrieked, prostrating herself at Mr. Crouch's feet. "No, master! Not clothes, not clothes!"

There was no doubt in my mind that Winky was one of the most loyal house-elves I had ever met. Most house-elves were upset at the thought of freedom (save Dobby) but Winky seemed to be taking it to a new level. I knew that the only way to turn a house-elf free was to present it with proper garments. That was exactly how we had freed Dobby from the Malfoy's back in Second Year. It was pitiful to see the way Winky clutched at her tea towel as she sobbed over Mr. Crouch's feet.

"But she was frightened!" Hermione burst out angrily, glaring at Mr. Crouch. "Your elf's scared of heights, and those wizards in masks were levitating people! You can't blame her for wanting to get out of their way!"

Did Hermione really just say that? She had just yelled at Mr. Crouch in front of some of the most important witches and wizards in the Ministry. She was definitely getting bolder - especially when it came to something she was passionate about. Mr. Crouch took a step backward, freeing himself from contact with the elf, whom he was surveying as though she were something filthy and rotten that was contaminating his over-shined shoes. I almost wanted to pick up Winky and reassure her that everything would be alright.

"I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me," Mr. Crouch said coldly, looking over at Hermione. "I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master's reputation."

Winky was crying so hard that her sobs echoed around the clearing. There was a very nasty silence, which was ended by Mr. Weasley, who said quietly, "Well, I think I'll take my lot back to the tent if nobody's got any objections. Amos, that wand's told us all it can - if Harry could have it back, please."

Mr. Diggory handed Harry his wand and Harry pocketed it. "I'll be back to the tent soon," Cedric muttered to his father.

"Hurry along," Mr. Diggory responded.

"Come on, you four," Mr. Weasley said quietly. But Hermione didn't seem to want to move; her eyes were still upon the sobbing elf.

"Wait one second," I said.

"Tara! Hermione!" Mr. Weasley said, more urgently.

"Hang on!" I hissed. I would be along in just a moment. But there was something I had to do first. I walked up to Cedric and smiled awkwardly. "Guess this is goodbye for a little while."

"See you at Hogwarts. Make up for lost time there," Cedric said.

"Exactly," I chirped.

"Hang on, Cedric," Dad said, walking in between us and stopping him from leaving. "Can we speak before you leave?"

My heart jumped into my throat. Too many people were standing around for us to do this right now. "Wait a second. Dad, please don't. I'll explain everything later," I said quickly.

"Quiet, Tara," Dad reprimanded.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I muttered to Cedric.

"It's okay," he said.

Dad walked up to Cedric, giving him an even stare that I couldn't read. He let out a soft breath before saying, "You're good for my daughter."

We all stared at each other for a second. I knew that Cedric wouldn't speak so I said, "Really?"

"Yes. Unfortunately," Dad added, giving Cedric a regretful look.

"Thank you, sir," Cedric said disbelievingly.

"Don't thank me. Just keep your hands to yourself," Dad told him sharply.

"Yes, sir," Cedric said immediately.

Dad gave Cedric a brief nod before walking off. I smiled at him before turning back to Cedric, who still looked as shocked at the change of events as I was. "So... I suppose I'll write to you once I'm back at the Burrow," I told him.

"I'll be waiting," Cedric said happily.

"Bye," I told him.

Things were finally looking up for the two of us. It hadn't lasted long but it had definitely been a very tense past few days. This would lead to a much easier next few months. I smiled at Cedric and leaned up to press a kiss against his cheek, deciding immediately that I wasn't going to do anything more than that. Not when Dad had finally allowed us to be together. I wasn't really fond of having Dad see me kiss someone anyway. Cedric smiled at me as he pulled away, shook hands with Dad, and walked off with Mr. Diggory.

"Did you know what I was planning to do?" I asked Dad curiously, walking back up to him.

"I had a feeling," Dad said, shrugging.

"Damn," I mumbled.

I'd really thought that I was being clever. Apparently not. "You've never exactly been one to listen to us before," Dad pointed out. I laughed. "Maybe I reacted a little harshly before. Just because of the way I found out."

"It should have never been done that way," I admitted. "I'm sorry."

It was the truth. I should have owned up to our relationship long before I had. "We agree on that much. But I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I should have listened to you," Dad admitted. My jaw almost dropped. My own father was admitting that I was right... "Cedric Diggory clearly is a good man. He took care of you when we couldn't. Even though you don't need it. You truly care for him?"

"I do," I said immediately.

"Invite him to dinner over the weekend," Dad offered.

"Really?" I asked nervously.

"Yes."

"Thank you!"

We both laughed as I jumped over and wrapped Dad in a tight hug. He was finally listening to me. "What a nice sight this is," Mom teased, walking up between us. "The fight is finally over."

"This one, at least," I teased.

Whether or not this fight was finally over, I knew that we would end up fighting again sometime over something else. That was just the way we always were. Fighting over something - usually something quite stupid that could have been avoided. We all laughed as we walked back over to the Weasley's, Hermione, and Harry. Hermione still looked upset over what had happened with Winky, but at my insistence, she turned and followed Harry and Ron out of the clearing and off through the trees.

"What's going to happen to Winky?" Hermione asked the moment we had left the clearing.

"I don't know," Mr. Weasley said.

"The way they were treating her! Mr. Diggory, calling her 'elf' all the time... and Mr. Crouch! He knows she didn't do it and he's still going to sack her! He didn't care how frightened she'd been, or how upset she was - it was like she wasn't even human!" Hermione yelped furiously.

"Well, she's not," Ron said.

Hermione rounded on him. "That doesn't mean she hasn't got feelings, Ron. It's disgusting the way -"

"Hermione, I agree with you but now is not the time to discuss elf rights," Mr. Weasley said quickly, beckoning her on. "I want to get back to the tent as fast as we can. What happened to the others?"

"We lost them in the dark," Ron explained. "Dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?"

"I'll explain everything back at the tent," Mr. Weasley said tensely.

My eyebrow raised to the top of my forehead. "You seriously don't know what that is?" I asked Ron.

"Well, you said that it was the -"

"Not here," Mr. Weasley interrupted his son.

Perhaps he was right. There was no reason to be talking about the Dark Mark out here. It was unnerving to everyone in the Wizarding World. We walked through the silence for a little while, unobstructed as we headed back to the campsite. But when we reached the edge of the wood, our progress was impeded. A large crowd of frightened-looking witches and wizards was congregated there, and when they saw Mr. Weasley and my own parents coming toward them, many of them surged forward.

"What's going on in there?"

"Who conjured it?"

"Arthur - it's not - Him?"

"Of course it's not Him," Mr. Weasley said impatiently. "We don't know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed."

"Calm down. We'll all explain everything later," Dad reassured them.

No one looked happy that they weren't going to explain what was going on, but they knew that it was late. It was time to go to sleep. Even I was ready to pass out. Mr. Weasley and my own parents led Harry, Ron, Hermione, and myself back through the crowd and back into the campsite. All was quiet now; there was no sign of the masked wizards, though several ruined tents were still smoking. In fact, large parts of the camp were completely destroyed. Thankfully our part had been mostly untouched. Charlie's head was poking out of our tent.

"Dad, what's going on?" Charlie called through the dark. "Fred, George, and Ginny got back okay, but the others -"

"I've got them here," Mr. Weasley said, bending down and entering the tent.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered after him. Mom and Dad held open the flap to allow me through after them. Bill was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a bed sheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely. Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy was sporting a bloody nose. That was when I noticed that Mom and Dad were also slightly bloody and dirty. Fred, George, and Ginny looked unhurt, though shaken. I instantly walked over to the twins. They didn't seem nearly as excitable as they normally were.

"Did you get them, Dad? The person who conjured the Mark?" Bill asked sharply.

"No. We found Barry Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark," Mr. Weasley said.

"What?" Bill, Charlie, and Percy asked together.

"Harry's wand?" Fred asked.

"Mr. Crouch's elf," Percy said, sounding thunderstruck.

They all stared at us for a moment. I stood underneath Fred and George's arms with Ginny underneath my own. I could feel that she was still shaking slightly. At least she'd had her older brothers to keep her safe. With some assistance from Harry, Ron, Hermione, and myself, Mr. Weasley and my parents explained what had happened in the woods. When we had finished our story, Percy swelled indignantly. I rolled my eyes, already knowing where this one was going.

"Well, Mr. Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!" Percy yelped. "Running away when he'd expressly told her not to... embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry... how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control -"

"She didn't do anything - she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Hermione snapped at Percy, who looked very taken aback.

Everyone went silent without warning. Hermione had definitely become a lot bolder over the last few months. Perhaps it was because she was getting older and growing into her own. Or maybe it was because we were finally starting to rub off on her. Either way, I was proud of her. Hermione had always got on fairly well with Percy - better, indeed, than any of the others, including myself. It was nice to see someone call him out. He had deserved it since the moment we'd met him.

"Hermione, a wizard in Mr. Crouch's position can't afford a house-elf who's going to run amok with a wand!" Percy finally said pompously, recovering himself.

"She didn't run amok! She just picked it up off the ground!" Hermione shouted.

"Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was? It wasn't hurting anyone... Why's it such a big deal?" Ron asked impatiently.

"It's the Dark Mark, Ron! You're a Pureblood! Honestly, read a book!" I snapped irritably.

He turned to me with a shocked look. "I told you, it's You-Know-Who's symbol, Ron," Hermione said before anyone else could answer or respond to me. "I read about it in _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_."

"And it hasn't been seen for thirteen years. Of course, people panicked... it was almost like seeing You-Know-Who back again," Mr. Weasley said quietly.

"I don't get it. I mean... it's still only a shape in the sky..." Ron said quietly.

"Ron, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed. The terror it inspired... you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside..." Mr. Weasley winced. "Everyone's worst fear... the very worst..." Mr. Weasley said quietly.

There was silence for a moment. We were all very panicked over the thought of Voldemort potentially returning. Then Bill, removing the sheet from his arm to check on his cut, said, "Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Roberts' before they hit the ground, though. They're having their memories modified right now."

"Glad to hear that they'll be okay," I said.

"By morning they won't remember anything," Bill insisted.

"Death Eaters? What are Death Eaters?" Harry asked.

"It's what You-Know-Who's supporters called themselves. I think we saw what's left of them tonight - the ones who managed to keep themselves out of Azkaban, anyway," Bill explained.

"We can't prove it was them, Bill," Mr. Weasley said.

"You know it was them though!" I gasped.

"You are right. It probably was," Mr. Weasley added hopelessly.

"Yeah, I bet it was!" Ron said suddenly. "Dad, we met Draco Malfoy in the woods, and he as good as told us his dad was one of those nutters in masks! And we all know the Malfoy's were right in with You-Know-Who!"

"But what were Voldemort's supporters -" Harry began. Everybody (with the exception of my own family) flinched - like most of the Wizarding World, the Weasley's always avoided saying Voldemort's name.

"Harry, honestly," I muttered.

"Sorry," Harry said quickly. "What were You-Know-Who's supporters up to, levitating Muggles? I mean, what was the point?"

"The point?" Mr. Weasley repeated with a hollow laugh. "Harry, that's their idea of fun. Half the Muggle killings back when You-Know-Who was in power were done for fun. I suppose they had a few drinks tonight and couldn't resist reminding us all that lots of them are still at large."

"So many of them were never convicted of their crimes because of their power within the Ministry," Dad explained.

"A nice little reunion for them," Mr. Weasley finished disgustedly.

"But if they were the Death Eaters, why did they Disapparate when they saw the Dark Mark? They'd have been pleased to see it, wouldn't they?" Ron asked.

"Use your brains, Ron. If they really were Death Eaters, they worked very hard to keep out of Azkaban when You-Know-Who lost power and told all sorts of lies about him forcing them to kill and torture people. I bet they'd be even more frightened than the rest of us to see him come back. They denied they'd ever been involved with him when he lost his powers and went back to their daily lives... I don't reckon he'd be over-pleased with them, do you?" Bill pointed out.

"So... whoever conjured the Dark Mark... were they doing it to show support for the Death Eaters, or to scare them away?" Hermione asked slowly.

"Your guess is as good as ours, Hermione," Mr. Weasley said. "But I'll tell you this... it was only the Death Eaters who ever knew how to conjure it. I'd be very surprised if the person who did it hadn't been a Death Eater once, even if they're not now... Listen, it's very late, and if your mother hears what's happened she'll be worried sick. We'll get a few more hours sleep and then try and get an early Portkey out of here."

Mom smiled down at me and brushed my hair back off my forehead. "Why don't you get to bed? We'll head back in the morning. We'll have to go straight to the Ministry to help set everything right," she said.

"Okay." We exchanged a quick hug as I turned back to my bedroom. Before I could, I looked back. "Dad!" I shouted.

He turned back. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for finally admitting that Cedric is a good guy," I said happily.

Despite everything that had happened tonight, I actually had come out of things ahead. "Honey, I don't love your relationship with Cedric. I still think he's too old for you. I still would really like for you two to push it off for another year. But you're my daughter and I know that you'll do whatever you want to," Dad said. We both laughed, well aware that he was telling the truth. "I'd rather you at least be open with it. He came to your aid. He wouldn't leave you alone out there during the attack. He cares for you. You care for him. It's fair."

"Thank you. I really do appreciate you finally coming to your senses," I teased.

"Please don't let me catch the two of you -"

"No! Wonderful talk, glad you're both okay, I'll see you in the morning," I gasped, darting off.

Dad laughed as I ran back over to Mom. She wrapped me in another hug. "Goodnight, love. We'll see you in the morning before you head back to the Burrow," she said.

"Night," I chirped.

We all waved each other off. I hadn't been sure if they were going to sleep in here after everything had happened with the Death Eaters or if they were planning on heading back to their own tent on the other side of ours. Mom gave me a brief kiss on the cheek and I hugged Dad again, letting them know that I would see them in the morning before we went home. As they left the tent, I went to head to bed. Almost everyone else was already asleep. But Fred was standing near the kitchen table, looking like he wanted to speak to me.

Fred met me halfway and immediately pulled me into a hug. "Glad you found your way back to the others," he said.

"Did you see everything?" I asked curiously, pulling away.

"A little bit," Fred said.

"It was terrifying. I hate thinking that any of those people could be back," I admitted, a chill sweeping over my arms.

Fred let out a soft breath and rubbed over my arms, trying to warm me up. "Doubt it's for anything more than just making a show out of themselves. There hasn't been any word of You-Know-Who's location or any attempt of another rise to power," Fred reasoned.

"Were you three okay?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah. We managed to make it into the woods pretty fast," Fred said.

"Good."

We stood in silence for a few seconds before Fred spoke again. "Sounds like your parents have finally gotten over Diggory."

A small smile tilted up on the corner of my lips. "Yeah. They realized that Cedric was there for me during the attack and he's been there for me before all of that too," I told him.

"You're happy," Fred commented.

"Yeah, you know, I am happy. It's kind of nice. To finally be in a relationship where I don't have to hide it from someone," I said happily. That was when I noticed that Fred was merely staring at me. "You still don't like him, then?"

"How surprised are you?" Fred asked.

We both started laughing. "Not at all. Can you two ever get along?" I asked desperately.

They were some of the most important people to me. I wanted them to get along. "Probably not," Fred said.

We both started laughing. "I appreciate your honesty, at least," I said.

Fred smiled. His eyes then turned up to my forehead. "What happened to your forehead?"

"Oh, I was hit by some spell by one of the Death Eaters, I think," I said, trying to shrug it off. I didn't want anyone to worry about it. Fred's eyes widened with panic. "It hurt like hell. Got cut by a branch when I fell."

"You were hit by a Death Eater spell? Why didn't you say anything?" Fred asked worriedly.

"I didn't want to start freaking people out, like so," I pointed out.

"Come here," Fred said.

He pulled the two of us over into the kitchen, grabbing a towel that was sitting on the counter. He ran it through the remaining water that we had and gently pressed it up against my forehead. I hissed in pain for a moment before smiling as the pain faded. He wiped away the blood before setting the rag back down on the counter. He pressed one hand underneath my chin to tilt my head up to look at him. His thumb very slowly traced up to the side of my face to gently press against the cut. I jumped back slightly in surprise.

"Sorry. Sorry," Fred said quickly. "I know it doesn't feel good."

"No, no, it's okay," I said, waving off his concern. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Fred said.

He placed his hand back up against my cut, gently wiping off the new blood that was forming there. "Tara! Fred!" Mr. Weasley barked. We instantly jumped back. "Get to sleep. We're going to be moving out at first light."

"Right. Sorry," I told him, stepping past Fred. "Night, Freddie."

"Goodnight, Tara," Fred responded.

That had definitely been a rather odd way to end the night. That was saying something, too, considering the way the rest of the night had gone. So was my life. Things always seemed to be strange. I gave Fred a quick hug before joining Hermione and Ginny in the girls' room. They were both already asleep. I crawled up into my bunk with my head buzzing from the pain of the Death Eater's spell and confusion. I knew that I ought to feel exhausted: It was nearly three in the morning, but now I felt wide-awake - wide-awake, and worried.

Four days ago - it felt like much longer, but it had only been four days - I had awoken with that birthmark on my hand burning. Harry had awoken with his scar burning. Both of which were normally signs that Voldemort was near. I hadn't even thought to ask Harry if he was thinking the same thing. The stupid Cedric situation had distracted me. But tonight could have been a huge warning sign over what was to come. Because tonight, for the first time in thirteen years, Lord Voldemort's mark had appeared in the sky. What did those things mean?

Were we really in the countdown to when Voldemort returned to power? The thought made goosebumps rise over my entire body. I wrapped myself tighter in the blankets. I thought of the letter I had written with Harry to Sirius before leaving Privet Drive. Would Sirius have gotten it yet? It would depend on how far away Sirius was hiding. When would he reply? I lay looking up at the canvas, but no flying fantasies or dreams of Cedric came to me now to ease me to sleep, and it was a long time after Charlie's snores filled the tent that I finally dozed off.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _Leading up to Tara's return to Hogwarts, her family deals with the utter chaos following the Death Eater attack on the Quidditch World Cup and Cedric visits for a family dinner._ Here's the new chapter and I hope that you all liked it! I'm very excited to write the next one. Thanks for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Ghostie1701: Always good to get in some Draco! Thank you! Trust me, there's no way that Phil Troy can compete with Cedric, but it's always fun to throw in some extra drama. Happy holidays! Hope you enjoyed them and the new chapter!**

 **Son of Whitebeard: It is a great match! Hope you liked this one!**

 **stephanielau: Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoyed it! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the last chapter. That's quite alright, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **crazy lil weirdo: Thank you! I love the game (I feel like it was one of the best written scenes in the series) so it would be a crime not to write it out. It was so wonderful. Phil Troy will appear again a little while down the road but I won't say when. As you see, Cedric earned major brownie points! Happy holidays to you as well! I hope you enjoyed this one!**

 **pottersimpala67: Thank you! I'm so glad that this was a good Christmas present! I'm glad that you liked Phil Troy's addition. He's fun to throw a little added drama in. I had a wonderful holiday! How about yours? Hope you enjoyed this one!**

 **Guest: I'm so glad that you love this story! I love writing it. It was a long chapter and this entire story is so long, but I'm so glad that people are still reading and enjoying because I put so much effort in. I hope you liked this chapter!**


	10. Mayhem at the Ministry

Mr. Weasley ended up waking us after only a few hours sleep. It didn't really matter. No one had slept much anyway. All night I'd been tormented by the memory of the curse that the Death Eater had hit me with. That horrible pain, only to jolt awake and realize that it was just a memory. I must not have looked good, because Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny had all asked if I was okay. I used the excuse that I was merely tired. I didn't want to tell them about the lingering effects of the curse. They all had enough to worry about.

It wasn't long afterward that my own parents showed up back from their tent. They looked tired as well. I assumed that they had been up late into the night talking about what had happened. The three of them used magic to pack up the two tents, and we left the campsite as quickly as possible (immediately falling into the throng of other people trying to evacuate the area quickly) passing Mr. Roberts at the door of his cottage. Mr. Roberts had a strange, dazed look about him, and he waved us off with a vague 'Merry Christmas,' despite it being late August.

"He'll be all right," Mr. Weasley said quietly as we marched off onto the moor.

"Must have been one hell of an Obliviate spell," I mumbled.

I'd never seen the effects daze someone that much. "It had to be powerful to make him forget everything that happened last night," Dad responded.

"But they won't remember everything?" I asked suddenly.

There was no way that they could remember what had happened to them last night. The mere memory would terrorize them. "No," Mom said, immediately reassuring me. I let out a soft breath. "This night will be a very fuzzy memory for them. They'll likely just remember watching television but be unable to recall what program it was or much else."

"He looks really confused," I muttered, glancing back toward Mr. Roberts.

"Sometimes, when a person's memory's modified, it makes him a bit disorientated for a while... and that was a big thing they had to make him forget," Mr. Weasley said reassuringly.

"I'm just glad he'll be okay," I said.

"Yeah," everyone else added.

No one wanted to see the Muggles get hurt. They hadn't even known what was going on. They were just innocent bystanders. We heard urgent voices as we approached the spot where the Portkey's lay, and when we reached it, we found a great number of witches and wizards gathered around Basil, the keeper of the Portkey's, all clamoring to get away from the campsite as quickly as possible. There were even more people out here right now than there had been before. It looked like everyone who had been in the stadium last night was out here.

"There's a lot of people here," I commented.

"No one wants to hang around so soon after a Death Eater attack," Charlie explained.

"This whole thing really has people freaked out," I said.

It seemed a little strange to see full-grown adults fleeing the World Cup. Especially since we weren't even that terrified. More confused. "Remember something, Tara. You were only a baby when You-Know-Who was at large. Many people remember the fear of not hearing from loved ones or having to listen to stories of Death Eater attacks getting closer and closer to the villages where they lived. This is only a reminder of the worst times of their lives," Charlie pointed out.

"Do you remember it?" I asked curiously.

He would have been old enough to remember the later part of Voldemort's reign. "Yes. I was still a young child during much of You-Know-Who's time in power, but I remember the fear. I remember seeing the looks on their faces, knowing that something was terribly wrong," Charlie said.

"Sounds horrible," I said truthfully.

"It was. Like most people, I think, I'm just hoping that this was a one-time thing."

"Do you think it was?"

"I would like to think so."

There was something that seemed unfinished about his thought. "But?" I prompted.

Charlie merely smiled at me; it was the same smile that adults always used to try and calm children. "Best not to worry yourself," Charlie said, only somewhat reassuringly. "Come on. I do believe we've gotten a Portkey."

While the two of us had been talking Mr. Weasley had been in a hurried discussion with Basil; we joined the queue and were able to take an old rubber tire back to Stoatshead Hill before the sun had really risen. We all managed to fall again. This time it was much harder to get to our feet. We walked back through Ottery St. Catchpole and up the damp lane toward the Burrow in the dawn light, talking very little because we were so exhausted. I was thinking longingly of our awaiting breakfast. As we rounded the corner and the Burrow came into view, a cry echoed along the lane.

"Oh thank goodness, thank goodness!"

All of our heads snapped up to see who it was. I smiled when the figure formed in front of us. Mrs. Weasley, who had evidently been waiting for us in the front yard, came running toward us, still wearing her bedroom slippers, her face pale and strained, a rolled-up copy of the Daily Prophet clutched in her hand. I could only assume that she had heard about the Death Eater attack and had been panicked without being able to hear from us. It was one of those times I wished the wizards would take a cue from Muggles and use cell phones.

"Arthur - I've been so worried - so worried-"

Mrs. Weasley flung her arms around Mr. Weasley's neck, and the Daily Prophet fell out of her limp hand onto the ground. Looking down, I saw the headline: _SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP_ , complete with a twinkling black-and-white photograph of the Dark Mark over the treetops. I could only imagine that she had been awake all night, waiting and praying that we would all come back. I could see that her eyes were red-rimmed. She had clearly been crying relatively recently.

"You're all right... you're alive..." Mrs. Weasley muttered distractedly, releasing Mr. Weasley and staring around at us all with red eyes, "Oh boys..."

And to everybody's surprise, she seized Fred and George and pulled them both into such a tight hug that their heads banged together. I snorted at the sight of the twins being crushed together by their mother, who was half their size. They looked shocked to see such affection from her, especially after the explosion they'd had between them before we'd left for the match. There was a good chance that she wouldn't care less about the twins having gambled back at the World Cup. Clearly, the only thing that mattered to her right now was the fact that the twins were alive and well.

"Ouch! Mum - you're strangling us -"

"I shouted at you before you left!" Mrs. Weasley cried, starting to sob again. "It's all I've been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn't get enough OW.L.s? Oh, Fred... George..."

"Come on, now, Molly, we're all perfectly okay," Mr. Weasley said soothingly, prying her off the twins and leading her back toward the house.

The twins looked quite embarrassed and surprised as they stepped back. I smiled at them. "What the hell was that about?" Fred asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You know what it was about, you nimrod!" I snapped, somehow annoyed that Fred wasn't grateful that the fight with his mother seemed to be over. He merely stared at me. "Your mother loves you both and couldn't stand the thought that the last thing she could have said to you was about how angry she was with your O.W.L.'s."

"Think she'll stop complaining about the joke shop?" he asked.

"Complaining about it? Probably not. But I don't think that she'll be yelling at you about it quite as much," I said honestly.

"One thing to thank the Death Eaters for," George chirped.

"Not funny," I growled.

My hand traveled subconsciously up to my forehead to trace where the cut from the branch was. George walked up to chat with Bill as Fred glanced at me. "How's the forehead?" he asked.

"Oh, it's fine. It'll heal up just fine. Probably should have used a spell to clean it up but I guess it wasn't a concern," I said carelessly.

"Do you know what spell it was that hit you?" Fred asked.

"Some kind of curse but I'm not sure what it was," I said.

"Did it hurt?"

"Yeah. Really bad," I admitted. Fred winced. "But it's okay."

"Bill," Mr. Weasley said off to the side in an undertone, "pick up that paper, I want to see what it says..."

In the meantime, Fred turned back to give me a scrutinizing stare. "Are you sure that you're okay?" he asked.

Did I really look that bad? Maybe I was more tired than I had originally thought I was. "Yeah. I've been much better but I've also been much worse. The pain only lasted while the spell was on me. The second that the curse broke I was still a little dazed but that wore off after a few minutes."

Fred smiled weakly. "Glad that you were okay."

"Thanks, Freddie," I said, smiling.

He placed his hand in the small of my back and gently nudged me inside. When we were all crammed into the tiny kitchen, and Hermione had made Mrs. Weasley a cup of very strong tea, into which Mr. Weasley insisted on pouring a shot of Ogdens Old Firewhiskey, Bill handed his father the newspaper. Mr. Weasley scanned the front page while Percy looked over his shoulder. While Mr. Weasley looked furious at the contents, Percy looked more contemplative. I could already sense a fight brewing.

"I knew it," Mr. Weasley said heavily. I arched a brow curiously. "Ministry blunders... culprits not apprehended... lax security... Dark wizards running unchecked... national disgrace... Who wrote this? Ah... of course... Rita Skeeter."

"She's still writing?" I asked, surprised.

The last time I had heard Skeeter's name in the paper had been two years ago. I hadn't heard her name in a long time and I'd loved it. Skeeter always wrote the absolute worst about everyone. She had written numerous times about how Dad had somehow managed to buy the Stars' way into the Quidditch World Cup. Which was stupid, since everyone could see the points that each team had before coming into the Cup. She had even tried to write cheating scandals about Mom in regards to Dad, which they had both threatened to sue over. The article had been pulled immediately after.

"Always, darling," Dad groaned, about Skeeter's writing. He had always hated her the most out of anyone I knew. "She writes complete trash. She's more of a gossip than anyone else who writes for the Prophet."

"What a bitch," I muttered, before thinking better of it.

"Tara!" Mom snapped.

My face flushed. "Sorry. But it's true," I commented.

"Be that as it may, you don't use that kind of language," Mom reprimanded me. I nodded blankly at her. "At least, not when we're around."

Everyone at the table chuckled, except for Percy, who was steaming over the article. "That woman's got it in for the Ministry of Magic! Last week she was saying we're wasting our time quibbling about cauldron thickness when we should be stamping out vampires!" Percy growled furiously. "As if it wasn't specifically stated in paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans -"

"Do us a favor, Perce, and shut up," Bill said, yawning.

That time I was one of the few to laugh. But I was bothered by something Percy had said. "Vampires are just like werewolves. Perfectly safe as long as they're aware of their condition," I pointed out to Percy.

"I'm mentioned," Mr. Weasley said, his eyes widening behind his glasses as he reached the bottom of the Daily Prophet article.

"Where?" Mrs. Weasley spluttered, choking on her tea and whiskey. "If I'd seen that, I'd have known you were alive!"

"Not by name. So are you two," Mr. Weasley said, pointing to my parents.

"By name?" Dad asked curiously.

Mr. Weasley scanned the article again before shaking his head. "Doesn't seem like it."

"It'll be alright, love," Mom said quietly, placing her hand on Dad's arm.

"Listen to this: 'If the terrified wizards and witches who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the wood expected reassurance from the Ministry of Magic, they were sadly disappointed. Three Ministry officials emerged some time after the appearance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refusing to give any more information. Whether this statement will be enough to quash the rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen,'" Mr. Weasley read.

"Seems like it could have been worse, though..." I muttered quietly.

The worst part had been the lie about the bodies. At least when they had said the three Ministry officials, they hadn't named them. "Considering it's Skeeter, she'll find a way to make things much worse. This won't be the last of it," Mom said.

"Oh really," Mr. Weasley said in exasperation, handing the paper to Percy. "Nobody was hurt. What was I supposed to say? Rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods... well, there certainly will be rumors now she's printed that."

"What?" I asked, shocked.

Did people believe her? "That's Skeeter for you. The rumor mill will start churning and Skeeter will find someone to lie and substantiate her claims. It's what's made her famous," Mom explained.

Mr. Weasley heaved a deep sigh. "Molly, I'm going to have to go into the office; this is going to take some smoothing over."

"I'll come with you, Father. Mr. Crouch will need all hands on deck. And I can give him my cauldron report in person," Percy said importantly.

"Because the cauldron reports are what everyone will care about right now," I scoffed.

Percy turned to me with a little scowl. "I'll have you know -"

"Tell me when I need to go to sleep, will you?" I interrupted.

I'd had it up to here with Percy's pain in the ass personality. He was always uppity and self-important about something. "We'll be heading out there as well, Arthur," Mom added, trying to smooth over the tense moment.

"Seems like it'll be all hands on deck," Dad said.

"You'll be okay here, love?" Mom asked me.

"I'm fine. Go take care of whatever needs to be fixed," I told them.

"Be good. We'll see you soon," Dad said.

"Bye," I chirped.

They would have been at the Ministry for a lot of their time leading up to the return to Hogwarts anyway, but now I assumed that they would be spending practically all of their time at the Ministry. My parents and Mr. Weasley bustled out of the kitchen with a final farewell. Mom and Dad were chatting softly as they rounded the corner of the room. But they didn't make it far. Mrs. Weasley got to her feet and followed them, looking most upset. She must have been hoping to have him home for the end of the summer holiday.

"Arthur, you're supposed to be on holiday! This hasn't got anything to do with your office; surely they can handle this without you?" Mrs. Weasley cried, pulling her husband and my parents back into the kitchen.

"I've got to go, Molly. I've made things worse. I'll just change into my robes and I'll be off..." Mr. Weasley said.

"You haven't made things worse, Arthur," Dad said, stepping forward. "It's Skeeter that's made things worse. Anyone with half a brain will understand that she's exaggerating everything."

"Perhaps normally. But You-Know-Who makes even the most reasonable wizard lose himself," Mr. Weasley pointed out.

With that, Mr. Weasley and my parents bade us a final farewell and Disapparated. "Mrs. Weasley," Harry suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to himself. "Hedwig hasn't arrived with a letter for me, has she?"

"Hedwig, dear?" Mrs. Weasley repeated distractedly. Harry must have been hoping for the response from Sirius. "No... no, there hasn't been any post at all."

Ron and Hermione looked curiously at Harry. I nodded at them. With a meaningful look at both of them, Harry said, "All right if I go and dump my stuff in your room, Ron?"

"Yeah... think I will too," Ron said at once.

"Tara?" Harry offered.

"Let's go," I said.

"Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Yes," she said quickly.

Without giving any of the others a moment to question why we all had to go or offer to come with us, we jumped up from the table and the four of us marched out of the kitchen and up the stairs. I could see it in Harry's eyes; he wanted to tell Ron and Hermione about our dreams from before the World Cup. I had been hesitant to say anything before, but with the Death Eater attack back at the Cup, I was now convinced that telling them was the right thing to do. Harry fell into step with me as we ascended the stairs just in front of Ron and Hermione.

"I want to tell them about the scar and birthmark hurting," Harry said echoing my own thoughts.

"I think you're right," I whispered back. "It's time to tell them with the Death Eater attack looming."

"Good," Harry said.

"What's up, Harry?" Ron asked the moment we had closed the door of the attic room behind us.

"There's something I haven't told you. _We_ haven't told you," Harry said, motioning between the two of us. Ron and Hermione stared at us in surprise. "On Saturday morning, we both woke up with my scar and Tara's birthmark hurting again."

Ron's and Hermione's reactions were almost exactly as I had imagined them back in Harry's bedroom on Privet Drive. Hermione gasped and started making suggestions at once, mentioning a number of reference books, and everybody from Albus Dumbledore to Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts nurse. She mentioned my parents, just as I had known that she would. Ron simply looked dumbstruck. I exchanged a glance with Harry. We both knew that this would happen - it was why we hadn't said anything in the first place.

"But - he wasn't there, was he? You-Know-Who? I mean - last time your scar kept hurting and that birthmark pain started, he was at Hogwarts, wasn't he?" Ron asked.

"I'm sure he wasn't on Privet Drive," Harry said.

"He wasn't. Trust us. I had to go over into Harry's room after I had the dream anyway. I was out in the street for a second. I would have seen him. We have this kind of... telepathic connection to him, I think," I explained awkwardly.

"She's right. We both had the exact same dream about him... him and Peter - you know, Wormtail," Harry told them. "I can't remember all of it now, but they were plotting to kill... someone."

For a second I glanced over at Harry. He looked a little strange talking about it. That was when I realized what he was about to say. He had clearly been teetering for a moment on the verge of saying 'me,' referring to himself, but I could only assume that he couldn't bring himself to make Hermione look any more horrified than she already did. She had never liked talking about our connections to Voldemort. It had always made her nervous. I could only imagine how she would react if she ever actually met him.

"Do you remember any of it?" Harry asked me, drawing me from my thoughts.

"Yeah," I admitted.

From the moment the two of us had woken from our dreams Harry had forgotten almost everything having to do with the dream. He only remembered a few things from the dream. I was the one who had somehow remembered almost everything. So, I told Ron and Hermione about Voldemort ordering the giant snake to kill Frank Bryce after overhearing their conversation. With every passing minute of my story, I could see that Ron and Hermione were getting more and more concerned over the lifelike dream.

"It was only a dream. Just a nightmare," Ron said comfortingly.

"Yeah, but was it, though?" Harry asked, turning to look out of the window at the brightening sky. I looked down at the rotted wood floor. It wasn't a dream. I had to tell them about Little Hangleton. I knew that I did. "It's weird, isn't it? My scar and Tara's birthmark hurts, and four days later the Death Eaters are on the march, and Voldemort's sign's up in the sky again."

"Don't - say - his - name!" Ron hissed through gritted teeth.

"Shut up!" I shouted at Ron. He merely glared at me. I let a few seconds pass before speaking again. "There's something else you all need to know. I went to that place in the dream. Little Hangleton. I went into that house. The Riddle House. I went to try and see if I could find any sign of Voldemort."

"Stop saying his name!" Ron yelled at the same time Hermione howled, "You did what?"

"Everything okay up there?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"We're fine," we all called back down.

Once we were sure that Mrs. Weasley wasn't listening anymore, I turned to Ron and Hermione. "Damn it, be quiet!" I snapped at them. "Yes, I went to Little Hangleton to try and see if I could find anything in regards to the dream." Hermione looked horrified. I debated on telling them that Cedric had gone with me but ultimately I decided to cut that part out. "Obviously I was just fine."

"Well... what happened?" Hermione asked curiously.

For a moment I stared at them. I really didn't want to worry them even more than I already had. But I knew that they would never let it go. So, I went ahead and decided to tell them what had happened. I went into detail about my trip to the Riddle House, the local historian's house, and my attempt at sneaking into the graveyard. I made sure to cut out everything that had happened with Cedric. Especially the undressing to avoid the Muggle police. They would have never let that one go. Either way, for some strange reason I didn't want them to know that he was now somewhat involved in this.

Ron and Hermione were silent for a long time afterward. "But no concrete evidence?" Ron finally asked.

"No. The tale the historian makes sense about Riddle's history. Murdering his father and grandparents. It's despicable but that's something he would do. He then goes to hide in his family's home while he gathers strength. But something doesn't make sense. There was no body. Frank Bryce seemed to just vanish. They all said that it wasn't surprising. There was absolutely no evidence that he had ever been there," I explained.

None of it made any sense. Little things made sense. But with everything put together, it was almost impossible to understand. The entire situation was so convoluted. My head was spinning. We all sat in silence for a long time as I twisted my happiest memories necklace around my fingers. Did Voldemort murder his parents and come back fifty years later to hide there? Did he murder a Muggle man named Frank Bryce simply for overhearing a conversation not meant for his ears? Was Voldemort planning on taking me captive and killing Harry? Maybe...

But honestly, I just wanted to believe that it was my brain overreacting to a realistic nightmare. Finally, Hermione asked, "What do you think?"

 _That I wish I was just some random kid in Hogwarts who was only worried about passing my classes and getting a date_... "I'm thinking that Voldemort might have sent us a fake memory... to try and get us to make the fool's move and go to Little Hangleton," I finally said.

"Which you did," Hermione pointed out.

"Yes," I agreed, feeling like a complete moron. If that really was what Voldemort had wanted, I had done just that. "Maybe he wasn't expecting the Muggles to be around. Maybe he had to abandon his quest."

"And remember what Professor Trelawney said?" Harry went on, ignoring Ron and probably trying to take the attention off my idiotic reaction to the dream. "At the end of last year?"

Professor Trelawney was our Divination teacher at Hogwarts. She was definitely a little batty. Actually, a little was understating things. Professor Trelawney was one of the strangest people I had ever met. That was saying something, considering how many odd characters I had met. I had never particularly liked her since she was always trying to predict my death in quite a number of creative ways. She had done the same thing to Harry. Much to my surprise, last year Hermione had walked out on Professor Trelawney and had never come back.

We always assumed that it was because Divination wasn't something you could learn in a book. It was something that you had to be naturally inclined to. Hermione's terrified look vanished as she let out a derisive snort. She had never believed anything that Professor Trelawney said and that was with good reason. But she hadn't heard her that day after our final exam. At the time we had thought the servant was Sirius. But now we knew that it was Peter Pettigrew, who I had dreamed was with Voldemort. He had rejoined him. Were they coming for us next?

"Oh Harry, you aren't going to pay attention to anything that old fraud says?" Hermione asked.

"You weren't there. You didn't hear her. This time was different. I told you, she went into a trance - a real one," Harry told her.

"Harry's right. Seers are rare but you _know_ when they're having a real vision. That was real," I explained.

That voice and glaze in her eyes... She had definitely had a real vision. "And she said the Dark Lord would rise again... greater and more terrible than ever before... and he'd manage it because his servant was going to go back to him... and that night Wormtail escaped," Harry continued.

"Plus she added something when I went to her. Saying something about needing a girl," I added.

By now we all knew that the girl was me. Voldemort had referenced me enough times. He had asked me if I remembered him back in First Year. He had talked about me being with him in our Second Year. In our Third Year I had learned that Pettigrew had been babysitting me the night that Voldemort had attacked Harry's parents. There was definitely some connection there, but I still wasn't sure what that connection was. There was a long silence in which Ron fidgeted absentmindedly with a hole in his Chudley Cannons bedspread. I fiddled with my necklace even faster.

"Why were you asking if Hedwig had come, Harry?" Hermione asked, finally shattering the silence. "Are you expecting a letter?"

"We told Sirius about my scar and her birthmark. We're waiting for his answer," Harry said, shrugging.

"Good thinking! I bet Sirius will know what to do!" Ron said, his expression clearing.

"I hoped he'd get back to me quickly," Harry said worriedly.

"But we don't know where Sirius is... he could be in Africa or somewhere, couldn't he? Hedwig's not going to manage that journey in a few days," Hermione said reasonably.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said.

Despite having relatively recently heard from Sirius, there was still a leaden feeling in his stomach as I looked out of the window at the Hedwig-free sky. "I'm thinking he's somewhere in the Caribbean," I said suddenly, trying to distract myself.

"Really?" Hermione asked curiously.

After everything, Sirius deserved to be somewhere close to the equator. "You should have seen the birds that have delivered the last few letters. He's definitely somewhere tropical. It's nice. He needs somewhere with a lot of sun. Somewhere warm and sunny," I said happily.

"He deserves it after all those years in Azkaban," Harry added.

"Cold and rainy all the time," I said, a chill sweeping over my bones.

We all shook our heads. "Did you think about telling your parents, Tara?" Hermione asked.

"Uh... no..." I muttered awkwardly. It was partially not to worry them and partially because another problem had popped into my life. "I had other things on my mind."

"Diggory," Ron huffed.

"Shut up!" I snapped back at him. "I know that they'll panic the second I tell them and they'll be furious that I went to Little Hangleton without their permission. Trust me, it's the best for me not to tell them unless I'm absolutely positive that something is wrong. For all we know, this could be a massive trick."

Hermione didn't look convinced in the slightest. "If you're sure..."

"Come and have a game of Quidditch in the orchard, Harry, Tara. Come on - four on three, Bill and Charlie and Fred and George will play... You can try out the Wronski Feint..." Ron told us.

"Fun. But that's one too many people," I pointed out.

"Hermione?" Ron offered.

"Absolutely not," Hermione huffed.

She had never liked Quidditch considering that she wasn't good at it. "Bet you Ginny will play," Ron said.

"Can she?" I asked curiously.

Her older brothers all played, of course, but I had never known that Ginny actually liked playing Quidditch. "Ron," Hermione warned, in an I-don't-think-you're-being-very-sensitive sort of voice, "Harry and Tara don't want to play Quidditch right now... They're worried, and they're tired... Tara was hit with a nasty spell just a few hours ago... We all need to go to bed..."

"Yeah, I want to play Quidditch," Harry said suddenly. "Hang on, I'll get my Firebolt."

"What better thing to get something off my mind? Let's play!" I chirped excitedly.

After all of the terrible things that had happened lately, I couldn't wait to do something normal like play Quidditch for a few hours. I had never played with Charlie anyway and Oliver said that he was a wonderful player. It would probably be pretty interesting to try and compare notes with him. Bill might not have been half-bad either and Fred and George were always good for a game. Hermione gave me a reproachful look that I ignored and then left the room, muttering something that sounded very much like 'Boys.'

"Uh, hello? Not a boy!" I yelled after her.

She didn't respond. We all went out to the yard after gathering our broomsticks and changing into clothes that would be easy to play in. It ended up being Fred, Bill, Harry, and myself on one team and Ron, George, Charlie, and Ginny on the other. I was very pleased to see that Ginny was willing to come and play with us. As we went through game after game I noticed that Ginny actually had the makings to be a pretty good player. She was fast and not too bad at maneuvering. What she really needed was a better broom and a lot more practice.

There was a good chance that one day she would make a fantastic player. Before we started our third game Ginny even admitted to me that she wanted to play more - her brothers simply wouldn't let her play with them as they were growing up. That had caused me to chuck the Quaffle at the boys much harder than necessary for a few games afterward. One had hit Ron straight in the eye. We'd laughed at the black-and-blue mark on his forehead for a good twenty minutes before Charlie had agreed to fix it for fear that Mrs. Weasley would find out and kill us.

Overall we played eight games throughout the day. It was tough seeing as we couldn't use any regulation balls so we were mostly just going off of points until we reached two hundred. My team won six of the eight games - mostly because of Harry and myself. Harry was actually a surprisingly good Chaser. There was no doubt that I was the best. It was too bad that we couldn't do the Wronski Feint because of the Muggle village that was nearby. We couldn't get high enough to do it. They would see us flying before we could make it high enough to do the free fall.

We ended up spending most of the following week playing Quidditch. That was about the only thing we could do to pass the time. We could have been reading our textbooks for the next year but it was obvious that no one really wanted to do that. Save Hermione, who was spending most of her time memorizing her books as she did before the start of every year. She would either do that or watch us play from time to time. It was more often that she could be found reading in the garden. I assumed that she was likely catching up on her work for the upcoming year.

Everyone had something else they were doing. Charlie spent a lot of time writing back and forth to his friends back in Romania. From what he had mentioned one day in between Quidditch games, he apparently had some big event he was preparing for in the next few months. He didn't say what it was. Bill spent a little bit of time back at his office in Gringotts which was apparently free from most of the drama happening in the Ministry. He seemed to be one of the most relaxed when it came to everything that had happened at the World Cup.

Fred and George were spending a lot of time working on bringing their joke shop to life again. It was tough seeing as we had to work around Mrs. Weasley. Despite what had happened with her being upset for yelling at them over Weasley Wizard Wheezes, we knew that she would destroy their things if she found them again, so we had to be extremely careful. It had led to me slipping out of Ginny's room a few times in the middle of the night to meet the twins down in the living room to trade off products where no one would see.

Ginny spent much of her time working with us on Quidditch training. She admitted to me that she really wanted to be a player. A Chaser more than likely. I had smiled. She was slowly getting better and better the more time we spent with her. Hermione still spent most of her time reading but she did toss the beat-up Quaffle to me sometimes to practice my catching skills. It wasn't exactly a challenge, considering just how weak Hermione's throwing arm was, but I appreciated her effort anyway.

Ron and Harry spent the most amount of time outside playing Quidditch. It was kind of cute watching them. Harry was definitely one of the best players around. He was wicked fast on any broom he used which was why he let Ron use the Firebolt occasionally. I had made sure to let the twins use it too. Hermione tried to get them to work with her but they had wholeheartedly denied that. Mr. Weasley and Percy were barely ever home. It was easy to see that Mrs. Weasley was having a hard time dealing with Mr. Weasley constantly being away and having to deal with his accidental comment.

On the rare occasions that I managed to get away from everyone else, I went into Ginny's room for some peace and quiet. It was mostly so I could write a letter to Cedric without someone stealing it and reading out loud for everyone to hear. It meant that I had to make sure no one would notice my absence. I knew that they would notice and come looking for me. The two of us had exchanged a number of letters over the week following the World Cup. We told each other just about everything that was happening in our respective lives.

Apparently, his father was extremely busy with work - which wasn't surprising considering the entire situation with Winky. His mother was still trying to handle damage control with what had happened at the World Cup. I wondered if it was at all possible that she might have been working with Dad right now. We both ended up agreeing that the family dinner with my parents would likely be extremely awkward - since I was sure that Dad was still a little upset over our relationship - but we were glad that they were willing to give us a try.

Neither Mr. Weasley nor Percy was at home much over the following week. Percy's absence didn't really bother me. He was a little too pompous about working with 'Mr. Crouch' and how whatever he was saying was the law of the land. I was sick of it. But it was sad to see Mrs. Weasley sick with worry over what was happening with Mr. Weasley. Both of them left the house each morning before the rest of the family got up, and returned well after dinner every night. They weren't the only ones that were dealing with long days at work.

My own parents had been dealing with the mess at the World Cup. Mom had been dealing a lot with international complaints about what had happened at the World Cup - almost as if it was her fault. Dad was constantly dealing with the mess. It turned out that almost everyone was blaming his department for having not caught onto the Death Eater presence at the Cup. With their busy schedules, they had only managed to stop by a few times during the week when we were having our nighttime tea - partly to see me and partly to catch up with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

It had been just over a full week when my parents popped by the Burrow at lunchtime (looking to be in an extremely sour mood) to tell me that the family dinner would be that night and to come over just before seven to help get ready. I'd ended up popping over to Cedric's house once they had left to let him know about the dinner, which he had known was coming. No one was home when I'd stopped in so I left a note for him to Floo over to my house at seven for dinner. I'd eventually settled on spending the late afternoon getting ready for the dinner.

Hoping that none of the Weasley's (the twins) would notice that I'd put some extra effort into my outfit, I headed back out into the living room at a half to seven. My white jeans and sparkly grey shirt thankfully didn't draw much attention from anyone other than Fred, who snorted in amusement. I whacked him over the head for it. I sat with them for a quick tea before getting up to leave. Everyone was already engrossed in their own activities for the evening so I cleared my throat to call them out of their own minds.

"See you all in a few hours!" I shouted.

"Bye," everyone replied.

Most of the kids had barely looked up from what they'd been doing. Mrs. Weasley looked up from her tea to give me a strained smile. "Say hello to your parents for us, dear," she said.

"Will do," I called back.

"Tell Pretty-boy Diggory we said hello!" George yelled after me.

"Yeah, that'll be my first thought," I mumbled.

"Bring us back something to eat!" Fred added.

Mrs. Weasley barked at him almost instantaneously about whether or not he enjoyed her own cooking. I laughed under my breath as I headed over to the fireplace. It did make me slightly pleased to know that Fred would likely be getting yelled at the entire time I was over at my own house. I stepped into the dusty fireplace and picked up a handful of Floo powder. Clearing my throat once more, I tossed the Floo powder into the grate and yelled out my home address. Immediately the green flames whipped up around me.

It didn't take long for me to begin bumping into other witches and wizards who were also traveling in the Floo Network. I tried to tuck in my elbows but it didn't make much of a difference. It felt like hours had passed before I was finally spat out into my living room fireplace. I cleared my throat and shook my head free from the dizzy spell I was under before stumbling out into the living room. I couldn't see my parents but I did smell the food. It smelled good so I automatically knew they hadn't cooked it themselves.

"Hey! Anyone home?" I yelled as I walked toward the kitchen.

"In here!" Mom's voice floated from the kitchen.

"Smells good in here," I chirped as I rounded the corner. Both Mom and Dad were standing at the counter. "What are we having for dinner?"

"No idea what you're having. We're having Chinese," Dad teased, motioning between himself and Mom.

"Hah. You're hilarious," I snapped, walking over to where Mom was setting out the dinner. It turned out that I was right about her not making it herself. "Chinese food? Really?"

Both of my parents turned to me, looking quite annoyed. "You should be happy that your father has decided to feed him at all," Mom pointed out.

She had a point there. In the background, I could hear Dad scoff. "Honestly, Dad," I moaned, turning back to face him. He was glaring down at the table. "What did grandpa do when Mom introduced you for the first time?"

"Warn me to stop harassing your mother," Dad said, grinning.

He gave Mom a wicked grin that she returned. I rolled my eyes. "We see how well that worked," I mumbled.

As I had gotten older Mom had told me a little bit about their relationship when they were younger. Dad had always had a crush on Mom but she hadn't felt the same way until she was older. It was very much the same way Lily and James had been throughout their schooling years. It had always made me laugh. I liked the idea that, while Dad had always loved Mom, she had once hated him. Not that I could blame either one of them. James and my own father had sounded quite annoying when they were younger.

Mom walked back over to the counter and began gathering all of the food, which had been piled onto plates. "Normally I would have made something else, sweetheart. But we've been so busy at the Ministry lately that we haven't been able to sit and think about meals," Mom told me.

"Oh... right. Sorry, I didn't think about that," I muttered dumbly.

It hadn't even occurred to me that they were too busy at the Ministry handling everything with the Death Eater attack to make a real dinner. _Way to be an asshole, Tara_... "It's alright," Mom said, smiling at me. "Does he like Chinese?"

"I think he'll eat whatever you give him. He's never been picky about food before," I said.

"Good," Mom muttered absentmindedly.

She strutted off to gather some more of the plates when a thought dawned on me. "Hey!" I chirped. Both of my parents turned to see what was going on. "Thanks for doing this."

"Our pleasure," Mom said brightly. Dad remained silent. "Right Marcus?"

His head whipped up from staring down at The Prophet. "Huh?" Mom rolled her eyes as she looked in between the two of us, motioning to me meaningfully. "Yeah. Our pleasure," Dad said begrudgingly.

"You sound pleased," I teased.

"Well -"

"Come on!" I interrupted, trying to keep from yelling at him. He was being such a pain. "You promised that you would be nice."

If he was going to be a jerk, I would take Cedric and go somewhere else. Perhaps out to dinner in Diagon Alley. "And I will keep that promise, Tara. I'm going to be nice, I promise," Dad said, resting a hand on my shoulder. I smiled up at him. "I love you and if that means I have to get used to you two being together... I'll work on it."

"Thanks, Dad," I said happily.

"You're welcome you massive pain in the ass," Dad said irritably.

We both laughed as I shoved him away from me. "My loving family," Mom chuckled.

"He started that one!" I barked, motioning over to him.

We all laughed. Mom suddenly glanced up and looked out to the living room. "Sounds like he's on his way," she said.

She was right. The fireplace was roaring off in the distance. I glanced up at the clock and smiled. It was seven o'clock on the dot. I knew that I could always trust Cedric to be on time. At least that would keep Dad from complaining that he couldn't even be bothered to show up when he had promised. There was a bright green flash from the living room as the flames erupted from the fireplace. Both Mom and Dad motioned for me to go and greet him. I darted from the kitchen just in time to see the green flames die down.

"Hello?" Cedric's voice called.

"Hi," I chirped. Cedric glanced up from brushing himself off to wrap me in a tight hug. As we pulled back I took his hand and pulled him along with me. "Come on in. We're all in the kitchen. Do you like Chinese food?"

"Love it," Cedric said.

"Good. That's what we're having," I told him.

"Too busy to make a real meal?" Cedric teased. I flushed with embarrassment slightly. "I'm just teasing you." Cedric placed a hand on my lower back, knowing that he had gotten me panicked for a moment. "My parents have barely been around this week. They keep leaving money for me to pop over to Diagon Alley or one of the local Muggle stores to get some food."

"Must be one hell of a time over at the Ministry," I said thoughtfully.

"Who can be surprised, honestly?" Cedric asked.

It made perfect sense. There had just been a Death Eater attack. The Ministry would be in ruins for weeks over it. "Oh, definitely not me," I told Cedric as we walked into the kitchen.

Both Mom and Dad immediately looked up. "Cedric, dear!" Mom greeted. She jumped from her spot behind the counter and walked forward to give him a tight hug. Cedric smiled, probably glad no one had hexed him yet. "Come on in. Hope everything is good. Sorry about the takeout. We didn't really have time to make anything."

"Anything would have been fine. This is wonderful. I love Chinese," Cedric said, pulling out of her hug. "Good to see you, by the way, Mrs. Nox."

"You as well," Mom replied.

Cedric then turned over to Dad. He smiled and walked forward, shaking Dad's hand tightly. "Mr. Nox," Cedric greeted. "Thank you for having me."

Dad didn't look particularly thrilled to have him here but I figured that he would at least try and be nice. "Thank you for taking care of her the other night," Dad told Cedric, referring to him watching over me during the Death Eater attack at the World Cup. "Plus it's much appreciated that you didn't -"

"Why don't we get the drinks?" I interrupted Dad, looking to Cedric.

"What?" Cedric asked, baffled at my interruption. I nodded at him urgently. "Okay."

It was very obvious to me that Dad was about to tell him that he was grateful that Cedric hadn't kissed me when he'd walked into the house. The last thing that I wanted was to make Cedric have to figure out a proper answer for that. Mostly because there really was no correct answer to that. Both of my parents laughed as we walked over to the refrigerator. I poured myself a glass of iced tea, Mom a mug of warm tea, and grabbed Dad a glass of Gillywater. Cedric decided to take some sweet tea with me. It was one of his favorite American habits of mine. My eating and drinking habits.

After a few minutes, once Mom and Dad had headed out to place the plates and food on the dining room table, Cedric turned back to me. "What was that about?" Cedric asked curiously.

"I knew that he was about to thank you for not kissing me when you came in and I didn't want to make you have to find a suitable answer for that," I answered honestly.

"A huge thank you for that," Cedric said. I giggled softly. "Now that no one is around..."

His voice trailed off as he glanced over my shoulder. I looked back to ensure that neither one of my parents were anywhere near us. They weren't. They both appeared to be out in the living room. I could hear them talking about where to put the plates. I laughed at his nerve as I leaned up and gave Cedric a lingering kiss. My arms wrapped around the back of his neck as I listened for my parents. I could hear the plates in the living room tinkling as they rearranged everything. Cedric pushed me back against the counter and my lips broke into a smile.

It would have been easy to stay like that forever but I knew that we were playing a dangerous game here. So we pulled back from each other. Cedric grabbed my arm and pulled me with him. "Come on. Before they catch us and we end up right back to square one," he said.

"Please not that again," I gasped.

Being put back to square one would be one of the worst things that could happen to us right now. All I wanted was for my parents to just accept that we were together and nothing was going to stop it. We both laughed again as we gathered our drinks and brought them out to the table. Mom and Dad thanked us as we took our seats at the table. I was on one side with Cedric. Mom was across from me and Dad was across from Cedric. I had a feeling that it was so that Dad could kick him if he said something he deemed inappropriate.

Thankfully things never got too awkward between us during the dinner. It was mostly just a typically amusing family dinner almost no different from the ones we used to have with Mr. Diggory. We had passed out the food quickly and spent a lot of time exchanging idle chitchat while we sat and ate our meals. Everyone picked at each plate on the table. None of us had eaten much during the day. I had been starving. I made sure not to stuff my face just in case I needed to step in and stop someone from saying something stupid.

Even after almost an hour at the table, no one had managed to embarrass themselves or each other yet. We spent a lot of time talking about what had happened at the World Cup. Thankfully we avoided any conversations about the Death Eaters. Everyone likely knew that I wasn't in the mood to talk about it. Or my parents after everything that had happened at the Ministry. Instead, the conversation mostly focused on the Quidditch match. It was obvious that Dad was the most animated about it. I was just happy that it was keeping him in a good mood.

Dad asked Cedric a lot about the Hufflepuff Team back at Hogwarts. I rolled my eyes each time he joked about not wanting to let me in on too many of the secrets for their new training season. I had been quick to snap that I would still manage to win with the Gryffindor Team. Cedric eventually admitted that, while he absolutely loved Quidditch and wanted to continue playing as he got older and after he graduated, he didn't think that he wanted to try and be a professional player. I nodded along with him. I'd known he hadn't wanted to be a professional player.

As we finished up dinner, Mom offered to make everyone a cup of hot tea. Once she had returned with four fresh mugs we all pushed back our plates and continued our conversations. Both of my parents asked Cedric a little bit about his own mother, seeing as they knew about his father. He explained what she did for work and why she was so rarely home. He mentioned that he was an only child much like I was - despite the fact that they'd already known that. He even mentioned that, while he loved his parents, he did wish that they were home often. I felt the same way.

That was how I felt most of the time over the summer when I wanted my parents to be around during the day. But they were normally at the Ministry. Eventually, the conversation turned to Hogwarts and his classes. He talked a lot about the classes he preferred and the ones he couldn't stand. He shared most of the same opinions on classes as I did. My parents were amused to know that he didn't like Divination. Mom seemed quite happy to know that he was interested in Herbology. I was offended that he didn't like Arithmancy.

"Have you thought much about what you wanted to do after Hogwarts, Cedric?" Dad finally asked.

Cedric glanced up from his mug and nodded. "Yeah. Last year they started talking to us about what we wanted to do after school, considering we were getting so close to the end," Cedric said. My brow raised. That was interesting. Next year I would already be thinking about my post-Hogwarts life. "Only two years left now. Have to start thinking about the future. For a long time, I was thinking about becoming an Auror."

Both of my parents smiled. "So is Tara," Mom said.

Cedric turned to me and grinned. "She's mentioned that. I was thinking an Auror or perhaps a Healer." Mom's eyes brightened at that statement. "I really do love helping people and Professor Sprout's always said that I would be good at it," Cedric explained.

"I was a Healer for a long time," Mom said.

"Did you enjoy it?" Cedric asked.

"Loved it," Mom said quickly. There was a life in her eyes I hadn't seen in a long time. "Broke my heart when we came back to England and St. Mungo's wasn't looking for Healers. But working in the Ministry could be worse."

"I don't think I want to work for the Ministry," Cedric said.

"Why's that?" Dad asked curiously.

My breath caught in my throat. Was Dad just looking for something to call Cedric out with? "Too many politics," Cedric answered. Dad's brow raised as I smiled. "If I want to help someone, I want to do it out of the goodness of my heart. Not because I need sponsorship or I need someone to agree with me."

Dad merely stared at him before saying, "That's very noble of you."

I very slowly turned to Dad and mouthed, "See?"

He rolled his eyes, kicking me gently underneath the table. "Are you ready to graduate?" Mom asked, changing the subject again.

Only one thing was for sure. _I_ wasn't ready for him to graduate. Even though it was two years away I knew that it was going to be a really strange change of pace. I had only known Cedric when we were both students. We only had to spend about two months a year away from each other during the summer. What was it going to be like with me still in school and him working some job? Would we keep in touch? Would he decide he wanted a real adult rather than a student? I shook the thoughts from my head. I hated thinking about where our relationship would go after his graduation.

"In a way. I'm glad that I still have two years left though," Cedric answered Mom. That was one thing we could agree on. "As I'm sure you both understand, Hogwarts has become like home. I've made so many friends there. It'll be tough to leave in two years. But I'll also be ready to start that next chapter of my life. Start working and see what the world has to offer."

"It's nice to see someone prepared for the next journey life has to offer," Dad said kindly.

As nice as that thought was, there was something slightly upsetting for me. I was really going to miss Cedric once he graduated from Hogwarts. "Maybe you can come to visit," I said hopefully.

"I think I'll have to. Wouldn't want to miss whatever disaster you and your friends cook up," Cedric teased. We all laughed at each other. I was surprised that even Mom laughed. "What will the four of you do after you graduate?"

"Settle down, I hope," Mom interjected.

"It's like you don't even know me," I told her. She laughed, whacking me over the side of the head. Dad and Cedric laughed as I turned back to the latter. "Something on a much grander scale, I assume."

"Should be exciting," Cedric said.

We all laughed again. As we settled back down, I took another big gulp of my tea. "Might I ask you something, Cedric?" Dad asked, breaking the brief silence.

"Of course," Cedric said.

"My daughter has a knack for trouble," Dad said. I turned a slight glare on him as Cedric smiled. It was _Harry_ that had a knack for trouble. I just got sucked into it. "Has she drawn you into any of it?"

"Sometimes." I swallowed a comeback. That was technically true. "Although sometimes I've asked her to tell me what's going on. Trust me, if I scared easily, I would have never kept talking to you," Cedric said, smiling at me. "What is it you say? So comes with the territory of being Harry Potter's best friend?" I nodded at him. "I've known for a long time that she's got a knack for getting herself into trouble. But she does it with a good heart and what more can anyone ask for? She sacrifices her own well-being and reputation to protect those she loves. It's an admirable - albeit dangerous - trait."

Perhaps he could be a Muggle life coach if he ever decided that he didn't want to stay in a job in the Wizarding World. He always had given the best advice and the capability to see things from both sides. Even better than I could. I smiled proudly at Cedric. There was no way that Dad would be able to say anything back to that. Not to mention that I was beaming. He was perhaps one of the few people who genuinely understood my savior complex for what it was. Dad was staring angrily down at the table as Mom looked in between the three of us, grinning.

Finally, Mom was the first one to break the silence. "Nothing to say back to that, Marcus?" she asked Dad teasingly.

Dad huffed, otherwise completely ignoring her. His head slowly turned to Cedric and I sucked in a breath. _Please don't be an asshole_... "At least you're not in Slytherin," he mumbled.

 _That could have gone much worse_... Of course, he could have been much nicer about it. "That's nice, Dad," I muttered.

As usual, Cedric didn't seem to mind. "Can I help clear everything?" he offered.

Dad rolled his eyes as Mom smiled. "That would be lovely," she chirped.

Any other day I would have offered to gather the plates with them. But right now I needed to make sure that this entire dinner hadn't been a waste. Dad didn't look particularly angry about anything. Actually, he looked more put-out that Cedric hadn't made a fool or ass out of himself over the past few hours. As both Mom and Cedric began clearing the dishes from the table - chatting animatedly about her time as a Healer at St. Dorrin's - I turned to Dad. His expression was unreadable as he watched the other two disappear back into the kitchen. Then he turned to me.

"So?" I asked curiously.

"He's still too old for you," Dad said.

"Come on!" I barked.

Cedric had proved himself to be an upstanding guy and Dad was still upset about the age difference. Dad let out a little breath and smiled down at me. "I might not like or completely approve of the relationship but I admit that Cedric is a good man," Dad said. I smiled at him. _That's better._ "He clearly cares very deeply for you. He's smart and well-rounded. Starting to set up his future. Out of the many boys you could have picked for a first boyfriend, I suppose that there were far worse choices."

"Not completely sincere but I'll take it," I teased.

Dad grinned. Just the simple fact that he was allowing me to be with Cedric was telling about how much he trusted him. "Tell me something," Dad prompted. I nodded at him to continue. "How do you feel about his graduation looming?"

It was something that I kept trying to forget about. I didn't want to think about where we would end up once he graduated Hogwarts and we no longer saw each other every day. "Not exactly great. It's two years between when he graduates and when I do," I admitted. Dad nodded thoughtfully. "But it's still two years before he gets there. I guess I'm just trying to take it one day at a time. Things will work themselves out."

"Good for you. You never know what might happen," Dad said.

"That sounds hopeful that we might stay together," I teased.

His face immediately knitted into a scowl. "Don't get too excited," he snapped. I laughed quietly. "I can just see how happy he makes you. That's what I want, more than anything else. Your happiness. If that means that you stay with him... I'll accept it."

"Thanks, Dad," I said happily.

"You're welcome, brat," Dad sighed. I giggled softly as he shoved my face off to the side. He was such a pain in the ass. But at least he was finally being somewhat accepting. "Why don't you get him out of the kitchen for a little bit while we get things cleaned up? Be easier with just your mom and me working."

"Okay," I said.

It was hard to keep the smile out of my voice. I would have loved to get a few minutes of peace with Cedric without Mom and Dad listening in or hanging over our shoulders. I smiled at Dad as I turned and headed back into the kitchen where Cedric and Mom were still talking. They seemed to be chatting about the process of becoming a Healer. As Dad pulled Mom off to the side, I grabbed Cedric and tugged him with me. I knew that Dad meant for us to go into the living room or somewhere else within shouting distance in the house, but this was a good chance for the two of us to talk.

Cedric grinned as I took his hand and walked us backward toward the front door. "Want to see the neighborhood?" I offered.

"Sure."

Glad that he had played into it, I turned back toward the kitchen. "We're going to go on a walk for a little bit! I'm going to show Cedric the neighborhood. We'll be back soon," I called into my parents.

"Tara -"

"Enjoy!" Mom interrupted Dad, likely knowing that he was going to try and tell me not to go out. "Be back soon, yeah?"

Even though he had agreed to us dating now, he clearly still didn't trust the two of us to go out to places alone together. "Won't be more than half an hour," I promised them. Before either one of them could say anything else I grabbed Cedric's hand and yanked him toward the door. We headed out onto the front porch and I grinned when I saw Mr. Dursley surveying yard. "Hello, Mr. Dursley."

Vermin whipped around. His eyes instantly widened at the sight of me before narrowing back into little slits. "You're back, then, are you?" Vermin asked, glancing around, likely wondering if his nephew would be anywhere to be found.

Cedric was surveying the scene curiously. "Just for the night," I answered carelessly.

"You listen here you -" Vermin's voice suddenly dropped off when he realized that I wasn't alone. His beady eyes scanned over to Cedric. A much taller, much more intimidating-looking, older wizard. I grinned. "Who's that?"

"Oh," Cedric began moving toward him, "I'm -"

"This is my friend, Cedric Diggory," I interrupted, reaching out for him and pulling him back to stand next to me. He just needed to play along. Cedric looked a little confused at my introduction of him but said nothing. "You know, he's of legal age. He can show you some of what your nephew is learning at school right now. I'm sure you're interested."

"No - No!" Vermin stumbled back to the door, hanging in the frame. "Goodnight," he hissed, slamming the door shut behind him.

A moment later I heard the lock engage. If he had ever listened to us talk he would know that a very simple spell could unlock it. Cedric turned to me confusedly. "Tara, I haven't turned seventeen yet. I'm not of legal age," he pointed out.

"Oh, I know that. But he doesn't," I said, grinning.

Cedric laughed under his breath, turning back to the door. "That's Harry's uncle, then?" he asked, pointing to where Vermin had vanished.

"That's him. I call him Vermin," I explained.

"That seems appropriate," Cedric said, nodding thoughtfully. "He seemed oddly angry with you."

"Oh... yeah..." I giggled.

"Should I even bother asking what happened?" Cedric sighed.

"Actually it's kind of a funny story," I mumbled.

It really was a funny story. I just had a feeling that Cedric wouldn't completely appreciate the way that I found it funny. We could have ended up causing some serious and permanent damage to the twins. Thankfully it was only a weak Engorgement Charm that wore off within hours or could be undone with a relatively simple spell. I explained the short version of what had happened with Dudley and the twins just before our trip to the World Cup. I was quite pleased when Cedric had ended up laughing for a long time over it. He didn't seem to be the slightest bit upset over it.

"Kudos to the twins," Cedric said once he had calmed down.

"One of their better jokes, I say," I giggled.

It was definitely one of the more impressive jokes they had come up with, even though it had seemed stupid when they'd told me. "Agreed," Cedric said.

We both laughed again as we headed off away from the house. It would likely only be so long before Vermin came back out and harassed us to leave the premises of his house. Plus I didn't want Mom and Dad to see anything that was about to happen. I grabbed Cedric's hand and pulled him with me down the street. The only place I could think to go was to the park on Magnolia that Sirius had found me in last summer. It was the one place I could think of that my parents wouldn't be able to see us but would still look moderately innocent.

I'm sorry about them, by the way," I said suddenly, breaking the silence. "My parents."

"You know what? At this point, I think I'm used to it," Cedric responded.

He was definitely going to have to get used to it. They were never going to completely leave him alone. "They were just testing you to see what you'd say. If there was anything they could use against you," I explained.

"Did I give them anything?" Cedric asked curiously.

"No," I said, smiling up at him. He looked surprised. "I don't know how you did it, but I think you've managed to win them over. Trust me, they weren't banking on that. They're horrible."

Cedric shook his head, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Nah. They're parents who want to embarrass their kid. It sounds familiar," he said. I supposed that he was right. They were just trying to harass me and using him was the easiest way to do that. "I'm just happy your father doesn't look like he wants to kill me every time he sees me now."

"As long as you don't kiss me in front of him, I think we're good," I said honestly.

"Oh, I'm far too scared of your father to even risk it now," Cedric teased, looking aghast.

"Cedric!" I gasped.

In any other moment, it would have been a great idea to never let either one of my parents catch the two of us kissing. Dad definitely more so. But not right now! Not when no one was around. It was a great chance to be together. I laughed loudly as Cedric immediately darted into a sprint away from me. I took off at full speed to try and catch up to him. His strides were almost twice the length of my own so it was almost impossible to catch up and he knew it. He knew that he would have to slow down for me to catch him.

Unsurprisingly he didn't dare slow down. He sprinted toward the playground before jumping four steps up onto one of the raised platforms. He slowed down and began meandering up them to the top of the set. I followed him for a moment before diverting a few steps from the top. Instead, I headed over toward the monkey bars. I latched onto the first bar before throwing my legs up and hooking them over the next one. I locked my legs underneath the bar before letting my arms drop and hanging freely from the bars, upside down.

Cedric slowly walked over to me. "What are you doing?" he asked.

He was standing on the ground, facing me. From the difference in height and the height of the bars we were face-to-face. "You've never done this?" I asked curiously, swinging slightly.

"No," Cedric said confusedly.

How had he never played on the monkey bars before? He had no childhood. "Muggle kids do this all the time! You just swing yourself up and hook your legs onto the bar in front and hang here. I used to do it for hours on end. My mom used to tell me that was why I was so crazy," I told him. Cedric snorted under his breath. "All the blood would rush to my head and never come back down."

"I think your mother was onto something," Cedric teased.

We both laughed as I reached out and whopped him on the chest. "Come on you big baby," I goaded, motioning up to the bars.

"I should pull you down from there," Cedric said.

He placed his hands on my hips and gave a gentle tug. "Don't you dare!" I shouted, squirming out of his grip. He laughed at me. That would have been a good way for both of us to end up on the ground. "Come on!"

There was a good chance that he would end up falling from the bars and that was honestly what I was hoping might happen. It would be hilarious to see. For me, at least. Cedric sighed quietly as he placed his arms up on the bar and hopped up onto the lower railing. He grunted as he tightened his grip on the metal and threw himself up, just barely managing to hook his legs underneath the next bar the way I had shown him. He released his arms much slower and dropped much more awkwardly and unsure of himself than I did. But he managed to hang there.

"See?" I asked, watching him swing across from me. "Not so bad."

"You do it so gracefully," Cedric said.

"I can walk on top of the bars too. Want to see?" I offered.

Cedric's jaw dropped. "How?"

"Practice," I teased.

Now that was a trick that my parents had absolutely hated. They always looked furious when I'd done it because it would have been quite easy for me to break something. Not that they couldn't have fixed it. I smiled and pulled myself back up, locking my hands around the bar. I used my stomach muscles to pull myself up and shimmy straight through the bars. I hooked my legs over and sat up on the bars, pushing myself up and standing against two of the bars. Cedric watched me with piqued interest as I wandered over the bars.

It was definitely easier than I remembered it being. I guessed that it was because I could take slightly longer strides now that I was taller. At least, the slightest bit taller. I decided to try and throw myself into a front walkover. My legs made a few small slips as I hit the bars again and I very nearly ended up slipping through. But I just barely managed to catch myself. Cedric laughed in amusement as I dropped back in between the bars and slipped down to hang next to him again. I supposed that I had remembered some things from gymnastics lessons.

Cedric was still looking at me in surprise. "How did you learn to do all that?" he asked.

"I was in gymnastics when I was younger," I explained.

What's that?" Cedric asked curiously.

He was at bad as Ron was. "You need to take Muggle Studies," I told him. Cedric reached over and whacked me in the back of the head. I started laughing at his irritation. "It's a sport Muggles do. It's kind of tough to explain. It has exercises that include balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and endurance. It evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks that included those kinds of skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills."

"Do you remember any of it?" Cedric asked.

"Some of the more simple things," I said, motioning up toward the top of the set where I had just done the walkover.

"Show me something," Cedric goaded.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

Could I really do anything back on the ground? The only reason the walkover was easy was because it was pretty much in a straight line and I had the bars to grip. I guessed that I could try. He could bring me to Mom to heal me if I did something stupid. So, I nodded my consent. I released my legs from the bars before dropping from my place. Cedric followed me down much less gracefully. His long legs weren't built for throwing himself in between the narrow bars on the jungle gym. He almost flopped back down to the ground. I laughed at him.

At least there was one thing that I knew I could beat him in. "Okay…" I mumbled, walking back and forth over the playground. What could I do to impress him and not kill myself? "I could show you a round-off."

"What's that?" Cedric asked curiously.

"Watch," I told him, walking off to the other side of the playground. He watched me as I lifted my arms up. Just before I could run forward I stopped and looked back at him. "Please don't laugh if I screw it up."

"Okay," Cedric said.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped with one foot forward. I would have been lying if I'd said that I completely remembered how to do a round-off. I didn't. But I would give it a try anyway. I stepped forward and took two large running steps before placing my hands down to go into a cartwheel. Cedric laughed as I twisted my body in midair and came back down on both of my feet. It would have been an almost perfect pass if I hadn't taken a couple of massive stumbles at the end. Cedric ended up having to catch me to keep me from falling on my face.

We were both laughed as Cedric helped me back to my feet. "Looks kind of like a cartwheel," he said.

"It basically is," I explained, dusting myself off. "You just land with both feet at the same time rather than one at a time."

"Muggles really do that?" Cedric asked.

"Yeah. It's always been pretty fun. A lot of Muggle kids do it. I did just to make some friends," I explained

It had been a way for me to get along with some of the Muggle kids in my classes before I had been able to go to Ilvermorny - or Hogwarts, I supposed. "That's so cool," Cedric said, grinning.

I stepped back and motioned to where I had just done the round-off. "Your turn," I goaded.

"You'll be taking me to St. Mungo's," Cedric snorted.

We both laughed. I would have loved to see Cedric attempt a round-off. "This is nice, isn't it?" I breathed gently, glancing off toward the stars.

"Being out here?" Cedric asked.

It was definitely nice out here but there was something I was enjoying even more. "Having nothing to worry about. It seems like once we get to Hogwarts every year our year goes to shit," I said. Cedric laughed under his breath. He knew that it never took long for us to get involved in something that was far beyond us. "There's something to be panicked about. Right now is nice. It's just the two of us and there's no massive problem that no one but myself and my friends knows about."

Cedric smiled, wrapping an arm over my waist. "This is nice. It's one of the few times I've found myself not concerned that you're going to get yourself killed," he teased.

"Ye of little faith," I shot back.

Perhaps in a few months, I would manage to almost get myself killed. A real near-death experience was coming this year. I knew it was. I could feel it. "I have much faith in you," Cedric said, running a hand along my arm. "But I also know how despicable the world can be."

"Fair point," I conceded.

"Come here."

There was a devilish grin on his face. I arched my brow. That couldn't have meant anything good for me. I giggled softly as I wrapped a hand around my wrist and dragged me with him. I stumbled along as he hit the steps to the jungle gym and pulled me up toward the top. As long as he wasn't planning on trying to throw me off the top, we would be fine. Eventually, we came to the entrance to the tallest slide on the top level of the jungle gym. Cedric nudged me to stand in front of him, against the bars, and I smiled up at the stars.

He placed himself up against my back. "Remind you of somewhere?" Cedric whispered in my ear.

"Can I count on you meeting me there?" I asked, smiling down at the ground.

"Absolutely."

My lips turned up in a slight smile. The wisps of his hair were gently tickling the side of my face. After a few moments, I felt Cedric's ring and middle finger press underneath my chin to force me to look over at him. I smiled again as his fingers hooked over my chin and pulled my head to meet his. He gently tilted my head upwards and I giggled softly as we met in a sweet kiss. His hand wrapped underneath my chin to keep our mouths together as his other wound back around my waist, tugging me up against him.

We remained locked together for at least a few minutes, both relieved that we didn't have to worry about my parents or any other students wandering into our rendezvous. I was sick of having to sneak around with him no matter where we were. After a while his hand moved from underneath my chin to wrap around the back of my neck, threading his fingers into my hair. My arms tightened their grip around his waist to dig slightly into the fabric on the back of his shirt. I could feel his lips tilt up in a smile against mine. I giggled again as he stepped into me, pressing me back against the railing.

One misstep and we would have both ended up careening down the slide - which, admittedly, would have been a little bit funny. Cedric's spare hand rested on my hip, gently wrapping around the bone as his arms were so long. As his fingers gently brushed the skin where my shirt had ridden up, something dawned on me. It felt like my jacket might have loosened slightly during our little bonding session. Likely from him. He was going to be seventeen soon. Was he okay with just this? Or was there a chance that maybe he wanted more?

"I have to say something," I blurted out.

Cedric looked quite surprised that I had broken the kiss to say that. "Okay. Go ahead," Cedric said.

"Um… well… I think… I don't really know how to start this," I muttered awkwardly, stumbling pathetically over my words. "But I know that you're almost seventeen. You're older than me. You - You've had a few girlfriends or friends who were girls before and -" I broke off when I realized that he was now laughing at me. _Asshole!_ He knew I was nervous. "And now you're laughing at me. That's great."

"No, no, I'm sorry for laughing," Cedric chuckled, grabbing my hand to keep me from shoving past him. "You just sound so terribly awkward."

"I feel awkward!" I growled.

Cedric shook his head, running his hands down my arms. He was still laughing. "You don't have to feel awkward. I know what you want to ask," Cedric said. I swallowed thickly. "Is this, what we're doing right now, good enough for me?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," I mumbled.

Cedric grinned and I prepared myself to hear the worst. Or best, maybe? "I'm more than happy with us the way we are right now, Tara," Cedric said.

My entire body relaxed with the knowledge that he didn't need anything more than this. "Okay," I breathed in relief. "That makes me feel better."

"Better?" Cedric asked bemusedly, raising an eyebrow.

 _Not better, you moron. Make him think you never want to be with him, why don't you?_ "Relieved," I corrected myself, quickly realizing that it hadn't sounded any better. "Not because I don't - well, I guess a better way to say it would be that… I don't know. I mean, I'd be nervous and you still sometimes make me nervous and I don't know. I mean, who do I know that even -?"

"Keep going," Cedric interrupted my nervous babbling. "I was kind of enjoying watching you struggle for words."

"Funny," I growled, whacking him on the chest.

He laughed as he stumbled back from my punch. I really didn't know how to broach that subject. "Tara, I'm just messing with you," Cedric said, reaching for my arm to keep me from walking off. I didn't want to have to deal with him laughing at my stupidity any longer. "I like us the way we are. I'm perfectly happy just being with you."

"Okay," I said, smiling awkwardly at him. "I just didn't know if you felt like…"

"I'm happy," Cedric interrupted, covering my mouth with his hand. "Let's leave it at that, shall we?"

"Sounds good," I said quickly.

The last thing that we needed was to keep talking about that. I was sure to only make things even more awkward. We stood in silence for a few moments before Cedric spoke again. "You know I was doing some research on that spell that hit you back at the World Cup," he told me.

"Come to any interesting conclusions?" I asked curiously.

"You mentioned in the letter that it felt like little white-hot knives stabbing you," Cedric said.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "Figured it was some kind of curse or hex."

"I think it was something more than that."

"Oh?"

Cedric was silent for a few moments, almost as if he was debating on telling me the truth. I nodded for him to continue. "I think someone used the Cruciatus Curse on you," Cedric said quickly.

 _Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that one_. "Excuse me?" I asked, baffled.

"Tell me it doesn't make sense," Cedric said.

Someone would have really used an Unforgivable Curse on a child? "That's a little far-fetched though, isn't it?" I asked. Someone would have had to be quite daring to use one in public like that. "I mean to use an Unforgivable Curse is an immediate life sentence in Azkaban."

"These are Death Eaters we're talking about," Cedric pointed out. I nodded. That was a fair enough point. "I read up on it. The pain was described as being so terrible that someone would wish to die."

The curse had only lingered on me for a few seconds but it had been enough to feel that searing pain. It had been enough to make me completely blank out, wishing it was all over with. "It wasn't on me for that long but… if it had been a few seconds longer… yeah, I could see it. I could see rather dying than dealing with that pain," I told him. He looked horrified at the thought. I hadn't had time to collect my thoughts after the curse had hit me, but I could see the urge to die if it was on someone for an extended period of time. "You really think that it was the Cruciatus Curse?"

"I do," Cedric said regretfully.

"Why would they use it on me?" I asked curiously.

"Why not?" Cedric responded. I raised a brow, unsure of what he meant. "They're Death Eaters. There's no reason for what they do. Just like with the Roberts family. It's fun to them. To see a young girl writhing in pain from a curse. Probably just something to laugh at."

"How could someone be so despicable?" I hissed.

"Somewhere in the back of their demented minds, I'm sure it makes sense. Belittling people by showing their own power," Cedric explained.

The entire thing was disgusting. Risking murdering someone just to get a little bit of a laugh. How could someone really do something like that? I hated even thinking about it. At the same time, I glanced down. A rather disturbing memory was coming back to me. I remembered back in First Year, at the Sorting Ceremony, when the Sorting Hat had told me that I desired power. Just as the Death Eaters did. Didn't I always like to be at the top of everything, including Quidditch? I had to remind myself that it was only a game. What they were doing out there was life or death. It was all different.

This was so much different. "Now that you've officially creeped me out…" I muttered, laughing awkwardly at Cedric.

"Sorry," Cedric said, smiling guiltily. "Just thought that you might want to know."

"Think it's worth telling anyone?" I asked him curiously.

Both Mom and Dad would lose it if they found out that someone had cast the Cruciatus Curse on me. "Doubtful. I think you'll just make them nervous," Cedric said.

"See how easy it becomes to keep secrets to protect people?" I asked teasingly.

Cedric grinned, knowing that I had him caught. "Touché."

It really was the truth. It always became easy to lie about things to protect the people you loved. I did it on a regular basis. In fact, I was still doing it. I was doing it with my parents and, on some level, I was doing it with Cedric. I supposed that I was doing it with Harry, Ron, and Hermione too. With the boxes and notes from the mystery sender and so much more. Desperate to think about something else, I headed down the playground and began meandering back and forth over the lower levels of the set.

"I didn't know that you were thinking about maybe becoming a Healer," I called up to Cedric, who was still lingering at the top of the slide.

"I'm really torn in between whether I want to be an Auror or a Healer. I'm not even sure. There might be something else I want to do. A Curse-Breaker or maybe an Herbologist. I don't know. Maybe even a professor," Cedric said.

"Decisions, decisions," I teased.

"Tell me about it," he laughed. "I just don't know what to pick."

It was a game that I used to play with my parents when I was a kid to make a quick choice. "Pick one," I said brusquely.

"Huh?" Cedric asked confusedly.

"Right now. I curse you if you don't choose," I told him, slipping my wand out of my boot. Cedric stared at me like I had lost my mind. "Two seconds. Go!" Cedric still looked baffled as I couldn't to two in my head and raised my wand. " _Dens_ -"

"Healer!" Cedric shouted suddenly. I grinned at him. He was breathing heavily. "What the hell was that about?"

It might not have always been the nicest thing in the world for me to do to him but it seemed to have worked. "Push someone to say something at the forefront of their mind. You give them just a second to choose or put in some kind of punishment. They'll say it out of fear but normally there's something more there. I think you want to be a Healer," I told him.

"You almost really hexed me," Cedric said disbelievingly.

"I knew that you would choose," I said confidently.

"What if I hadn't?"

"You would have been explaining what had happened to the Improper Use of Magic Office."

"You would have gotten your wand snapped."

"But see? I didn't."

"What hex were you planning on using?" Cedric asked.

" _Densaugeo_ ," I told him.

His jaw flapped open as I smiled guiltily. "Grotesquely enlarging my teeth?" Cedric asked.

At least he had paid attention in class. "But I really do like your smile so I'm very grateful that I didn't have to do that," I teased.

He still didn't look particularly thrilled that I had almost hexed him. The stupid part was that I really had almost hexed him. I had been completely ready to cast the spell. It was a good thing that he was paying attention and hadn't let me do it. I smiled at him as his face eventually broke into a smile. He rolled his eyes at me as he wrapped an arm around my back, pulling me flush against him. He gave me a slight whack over the back of the head before leaning down and pressing a long kiss against my mouth. I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck.

We stayed together for a long time before finally breaking apart. "Should we head back?" Cedric offered.

Did I want to head back? Absolutely not. "Probably. I said only half an hour and I think it's been about that," I said, glancing down at my Muggle watch.

"Shall we?" Cedric asked, motioning back up the street to my house.

"I suppose," I groaned.

At some point, I had to head back home anyway. I had to say goodbye to my parents before heading back to the Burrow for the night. I had a feeling that they would all want to know what had happened. We both smiled at each other as we headed back home - stopping a number of times to share a kiss out of the sight of my parents. I was so happy to be back with him and to have my parents finally accepting the two of us being together. Plus I could tell that he was happy that things had changed between our families too. Eventually, we made it up the road and wandered back into my house.

We walked over into the living room where my parents were sitting together. They stood as we walked into the house. "I just wanted to thank you both so much for dinner," Cedric told them.

"It was our pleasure," Mom said, smiling brightly at him. "Right, Marcus?"

"Yeah. It was good to see you, Cedric," Dad said halfway-earnestly.

"You as well, sir," Cedric said politely.

At least they weren't trying to kill each other. "We're likely going to be busy over the next few days leading up to your return to Hogwarts. I'd assume that your parents are having the same struggles," Mom told Cedric, who nodded at her. "Perhaps you can come over next summer?"

My eyes widened. _That was surprisingly nice_... "As long as you'll have me," Cedric said.

"Bye, sweetheart," Mom told him, giving him a small hug.

"See you at the platform," Dad added, shaking his hand.

"Have a wonderful night," Cedric told them.

"Be right back," I told my parents.

They both nodded as we turned to walk off. They headed into the kitchen likely to give us a moment of privacy. I could hear Dad grumbling about it as he walked off. I grabbed Cedric's hand and pulled him back over to the fireplace. I doubted that we would see each other again before we headed off for Hogwarts so I would have to say goodbye for a while. I glanced back over my shoulder and noticed that my parents had wandered into the kitchen, standing at the counter and drinking their tea. They weren't paying attention. So, I leaned up and kissed Cedric again.

We stayed together for a brief moment before pulling apart. No use in getting caught right now. "Not sure if I'll see you again before the new term starts but I'll write," I told him.

"Absolutely. I'll see you on the platform if not before," Cedric said.

"Bye," I chirped.

In a week we would be able to see each other every day. I really did miss getting to see him all the time. If nothing else, just get the chance to talk to him. I guessed that I just missed being back in Hogwarts. We exchanged another brief kiss before stepping back. I receded a few steps into the living room as Cedric took a handful of Floo powder and stepped back into the fireplace. He threw the powder down into the fireplace and called out his address. The flames shot up around him as he vanished. I smiled at the slowly-dying flames and turned back to the kitchen.

My parents glanced up. Mom was smiling at me while Dad still had an unreadable mask on his face. "Was that so painful?" I asked, walking back into the kitchen with them.

"He's still too old for you," Dad huffed.

That was his argument only because he couldn't find anything else to complain about. "Face it. That's the only thing you have to say back to him. He's a great guy and you know it," I said somewhat haughtily.

"Yes, yes, he's wonderful," Dad muttered, waving me off.

Mom grinned, stepping between us. "Thank you for at least being willing to work with each other on this one."

Dad turned to me and gave a slightly strained smile. "If you're happy, that's what matters to me, love," he said.

"Thanks, Dad," I said quietly.

"We adore Cedric," Mom told me. Dad only looked like he agreed about halfway. "He's a good man."

"He really is," I told them.

We all exchanged little hugs as I stepped back. "It's getting late. You should really head back to the Burrow and get ready for bed," Dad said, turning to Mom. "I'm going to head into the office and get some work done before bed."

"I think I'll join you," Mom told him.

Midnight work at the Ministry sounded terrible to me. "See you guys on the first, yeah?" I asked.

"We'll drop by a few times before that," Mom said.

"See you soon," Dad said.

"I'll let the Weasley's know you said hello," I told them.

There was a good chance that Mr. Weasley wouldn't even be home when I got back to the Burrow. And, if he wasn't, I assumed that Percy wouldn't be there either. We all exchanged short hugs and kisses before I wandered back to the fireplace. Mom and Dad Disapparated before I could take the Floo powder. I shot back through the fireplace and found myself almost thrown from the fireplace in the Burrow's living room. I smiled when I saw all of the Weasley's crowded around the table. As expected, neither Mr. Weasley nor Percy was home.

"How'd it go?" everyone asked, turning to me.

Not a single one of them had bothered to greet me. "Hello to you all too," I teased.

We all laughed as I walked out of the fireplace, brushed myself off, and headed into the room with everyone else. I took a seat at the table and smiled at everyone. Fred and George seemed to be messing with fireworks, Harry and Ron were reading through Flying With the Cannons, and Ginny and Hermione were discussing classes. They all stopped to listen to me explain most of what had happened over the night. I'd left out our trip to the playground. They all seemed thrilled to know that I had had a good time and my parents hadn't lost it over my continued relationship.

Over the next few days, I got to see my parents a few times. They didn't stay long but they tried to drop by at least every other day. I'd never seen them look so tired. The Ministry work was clearly taking its toll. I didn't really mind not getting to see them that much. As much as I loved them, I was glad to have a bit of a break from them. I also got a lot of chances to write to Cedric over the next few days. We exchanged at least two letters a day since the Burrow was so close to his home - they lived on opposite sides of the village.

The others got quite a kick out of teasing me over my relationship with Cedric. It was one of their favorite pass-times in the days leading up to our return to Hogwarts. They all seemed to think that it would be even easier to tease me now that our relationship was out in the open. They now didn't have to worry about someone overhearing and having it get back to my parents. Harry and Ron absolutely hated the relationship as usual. Hermione and Ginny thought that it was adorable. Fred and George teased me absolutely mercilessly over it.

But there was something slightly different about the way that Fred teased me. His smiles always seemed slightly strained. His jokes always seemed to be a little bit on the scathing side. Some of his comments had actually hurt slightly. But I wouldn't dare let him know that he was getting to me. So I forced a laugh and rolled my eyes, stalking away from him. I wasn't sure what his weirdness over Cedric was. All I knew was that there was very clearly some bad blood between them. I also knew that I didn't want to ask about it. It likely wouldn't be a pleasant conversation.

The Sunday before we were set to return to Hogwarts we were all sitting around the dinner table finishing our tea. Or, in my case, coffee. Fred was staring at me in disgust. He had tried it earlier and complained for almost an hour about how I could drink something so bitter. Everyone else had laughed and agreed with him. I rolled my eyes. They were missing out. In the meantime, we were trying to celebrate our last night of peace that we would get before school started again. Everyone but Mr. Weasley was home but we were chatting mostly about the Ministry.

"It's been an absolute uproar," Percy told us importantly. "I've been putting out fires all week."

"About cauldrons?" I asked curiously.

Everyone laughed as Percy blushed madly. "People keep sending Howlers, and of course, if you don't open a Howler straight away, it explodes," he explained, trying to ignore my comment. "Scorch marks all over my desk and my best quill reduced to cinders."

"Why are they all sending Howlers?" Ginny asked as she mended her copy of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ with Spellotape on the rug in front of the living room fire.

"Complaining about security at the World Cup. They want compensation for their ruined property," Percy told us. I rolled my eyes. They hadn't known who the Death Eaters were during the Wizarding War. How would they know during the Quidditch World Cup? "Mundungus Fletcher's put in a claim for a twelve-bedroom tent with en-suite Jacuzzi, but I've got his number. I know for a fact he was sleeping under a cloak propped on sticks."

"I thought that you handled cauldron bottoms?" I teased.

Everyone laughed again as Percy turned to me. "I've been granted more authority from Mr. Crouch to begin taking on new duties," he said indignantly, starting to turn bright red.

"Sounds tiring," I groaned.

"Rewarding, I think you mean," Percy said.

"No. I said what I meant," I said.

He looked less than thrilled with me. But I had meant what I'd said. Working that high in the Ministry sounded miserable. Mom and Dad certainly had looked that way when they'd been here earlier to tell me that they would meet me on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters tomorrow. Mrs. Weasley glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. I liked that clock a lot. It was completely useless if you wanted to know the time, but otherwise very informative. It had nine golden hands, and each of them was engraved with one of the Weasley family's names.

There were no numerals around the face, but descriptions of where each family member might be. Home, school, and work were there, but there was also traveling, lost, hospital, prison, and, in the position where the number twelve would be on a normal clock, mortal peril. Eight of the hands were currently pointing to the home position, but Mr. Weasley's, which was the longest, was still pointing to work. Mom and Dad had told her that Mr. Weasley had looked up to his neck in work when they'd last seen him. Mrs. Weasley sighed.

"Your father hasn't had to go into the office on weekends since the days of You-Know-Who. They're working him far too hard. His dinner's going to be ruined if he doesn't come home soon," Mrs. Weasley said to no one in particular.

"Well, Father feels he's got to make up for his mistake at the match, doesn't he?" Percy asked.

My head snapped up from my coffee mug. "Your mother's going to kill him for that," I muttered.

"Yes, she will," Fred said.

"If truth be told, he was a tad unwise to make a public statement without clearing it with his Head of Department first -"

"Don't you dare blame your father for what that wretched Skeeter woman wrote!" Mrs. Weasley hissed at her son, flaring up at once.

"If Dad hadn't said anything, old Rita would just have said it was disgraceful that nobody from the Ministry had commented," Bill called from the living room, who was playing chess with Ron. "Rita Skeeter never makes anyone look good. Remember, she interviewed all the Gringotts' Charm Breakers once, and called me 'a long-haired pillock'?"

"Well, it is a bit long, dear," Mrs. Weasley said gently. "If you'd just let me -"

"No, Mum."

"I like it, Bill," I called to him.

"Thank you, Tara," Bill said, smiling at me.

Rain lashed against the living room window. Hermione was immersed in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, copies of which Mrs. Weasley had bought for her, Harry, Ron, and me in Diagon Alley during the World Cup. Charlie was darning a fireproof balaclava. Harry was polishing his Firebolt, the broomstick servicing kit Hermione had given him for his thirteenth birthday open at his feet. Fred and George were sitting in a far corner, quills out, talking in whispers, their heads bent over a piece of parchment.

Very slowly I meandered over to them. I knew what they were doing. A lot of their inventory for Weasley Wizard Wheezes had been destroyed by Mrs. Weasley and they were having a hard time rebuilding it. I brought my coffee mug over and seated myself between them. It would definitely be tough since we hadn't really gotten much of a chance to sit together and rebuild the joke shop. Especially since Mrs. Weasley was still watching them. We had only really been able to work on the store for about two hours since I had arrived at the Burrow two weeks ago.

"You might need to use a different spell for that one," I muttered, pointing to their newest design of fireworks that were supposed to chase an intended target. "I don't think it's lasting long enough."

"But we can't use something that'll actually injure the user," George whispered.

"That's surprisingly polite of you," I said, raising a brow.

"Please, Tara. Don't be stupid. We just don't need a lawsuit," George responded.

I snorted under my breath and shook my head at him. "How I didn't see that coming, I'll never know," I groaned.

"What are you two up to?" Mrs. Weasley asked sharply, her eyes on the twins.

"Homework," Fred said vaguely.

Everyone knew that the twins never did their homework. At least, not until the last second. "Don't be ridiculous, you're still on holiday," Mrs. Weasley told them.

"Yeah, we've left it a bit late," George said.

"You're not by any chance writing out a new order form, are you? You wouldn't be thinking of restarting Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, by any chance?" Mrs. Weasley asked them shrewdly.

This was exactly why I had told them to do their work upstairs in their bedroom. "Now, Mum," Fred started, looking up at her, a pained look on his face. "If the Hogwarts Express crashed tomorrow, and George and I died, how would you feel to know that the last thing we ever heard from you was an unfounded accusation?"

Everyone laughed, even Mrs. Weasley. I shoved my head into Fred's shoulder, giggling madly. He was smiling down at me as I shifted slightly and laid back against his shoulder. He was definitely the most comfortable of the Weasley's to lay on. I sipped from my coffee mug as Fred and George put all of their experiments away just in time for Mrs. Weasley to walk over and whack Fred over the back of the head. We all laughed again. Once she had walked off I looked back over my shoulder and smiled up at Fred.

"Gonna milk that one forever, huh?" I asked.

"Absolutely," the twins said together.

"Oh, your father's coming!" Mrs. Weasley said suddenly, looking up at the clock again.

Mr. Weasley's hand had suddenly spun from work to traveling. I smiled at Mrs. Weasley. She looked quite pleased to see that Mr. Weasley was heading back home. It was the earliest that he had gotten home since the Quidditch World Cup. Although there was a chance that he would be going back into his office in a matter of hours. A second later the spoon hand had shuddered to a halt on home with the others, and we heard him calling from the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley looked quite happy that he was home before midnight.

"Coming, Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley called, hurrying out of the room.

Everyone else smiled at them. We all knew that she had been extremely upset over the past few weeks since her husband had hardly ever been home. At least Mom and Dad were together all day while they were at the Ministry. Although they seemed to have both been extremely tense since the attack. Not that I could blame them. It was half of the reason I hadn't told them about the potential Cruciatus Curse being used on me. A few moments later, Mr. Weasley came into the warm living room carrying his dinner on a tray. He looked completely exhausted.

"Well, the fat's really in the fire now," Mr. Weasley told Mrs. Weasley as he sat down in an armchair near the hearth and toyed unenthusiastically with his somewhat shriveled cauliflower. "Rita Skeeter's been ferreting around all week, looking for more Ministry mess-ups to report. And now she's found out about poor old Bertha going missing, so that'll be the headline in the Prophet tomorrow. I told Bagman he should have sent someone to look for her ages ago."

"Mr. Crouch has been saying it for weeks and weeks," Percy said swiftly.

"Who the hell cares what Mr. Crouch thinks?" I snapped.

Percy shot me a heated glare. "Crouch is very lucky Rita hasn't found out about Winky. There'd be a week's worth of headlines in his house-elf being caught holding the wand that conjured the Dark Mark," Mr. Weasley said.

"Dad said he had that story buried," I put in curiously.

They had told me that when they had visited the Burrow a few days ago. "He was working closely with Mr. Diggory to ensure that Winky's name didn't make it into any official reports. Skeeter would have found out within seconds if we did," Mr. Weasley explained to us.

"I thought we were all agreed that that elf, while irresponsible, did not conjure the Mark?" Percy asked hotly.

"If you ask me, Mr. Crouch is very lucky no one at the Daily Prophet knows how mean he is to elves!" Hermione said angrily.

"Now look here, Hermione!" Percy gasped. "A high-ranking Ministry official like Mr. Crouch deserves unswerving obedience from his servants -"

"His slave, you mean!" Hermione interrupted loudly, her voice rising passionately. "Because he didn't pay Winky, did he?"

"I think you'd all better go upstairs and check that you've packed properly!" Mrs. Weasley interrupted even louder, breaking up the argument. "Come on now, all of you..."

"Well that was exciting," I muttered.

It was the first time that I had really heard either one of them bicker with the other. They tended to be two of the friendliest people with each other. I had always known that Percy liked Hermione more than any of the rest of us. At Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's insistence, we all got to our feet and headed off to bed. The boys were all laughing at the stunned look on Percy's face. I walked up the stairs with Hermione and Ginny, the former ranting and raving like a lunatic throughout the climb about House-Elf welfare and rights. Once inside Ginny's' room, I packed at light speed.

My trunk and bags were packed within five minutes. It was the fastest I had ever managed it. Hermione still hadn't stopped yelling about House-Elf rights. "Hermione!" I yelled, interrupting her for the first time. "As much as I love hearing you rant about house-elf welfare, which is very important, I think Harry has something of mine. I'll be back in a little bit."

"Oh, very well," Hermione sighed, muttering angrily under her breath.

Before she got the chance to say anything else I darted out of Ginny's room, slammed the door shut behind me, and darted up the three flights to Ron's room. I walked inside and smiled tensely at Harry and Ron. "What's up?" Harry asked curiously.

"Hermione won't shut the hell up about house-elves and I couldn't stand it for another few seconds. So I decided to come and see what you two are doing," I explained.

They both laughed as they went to packing and I began helping them. Harry was currently packing up his broomstick servicing kit along with his Firebolt. Ron looked to be shoving things in his trunk at random. The rain sounded even louder at the top of the house, accompanied by loud whistling and moans from the wind, not to mention sporadic howls from the ghoul who lived in the attic. Pigwidgeon began twittering and zooming around his cage upon my entrance. The sight of the half-packed trunks seemed to have sent him into a frenzy of excitement.

"Bung him some Owl Treats," Ron said, throwing a packet across to Harry. "It might shut him up."

Pigwidgeon was definitely one of the funniest animals I had ever met. Dai and Hedwig had never liked him. I knew that it was because they were dignified owls. They were larger and definitely traditional-looking owls. They didn't like the goofiness of Pigwidgeon. I still hated his name. Ginny liked to insist that it was cute. Harry poked a few Owl Treats through the bars of Pigwidgeon's cage, then turned to his trunk. I smiled at him and poked my fingers through the cage, letting him nibble on them. Hedwig's cage stood next to Pigwidgeon's, still empty.

"It's been over a week," Harry said, looking at Hedwig's deserted perch. "Tara, Ron, you don't reckon Sirius has been caught, do you?"

"Nah, it would've been in the _Daily Prophet._ The Ministry would want to show they'd caught someone, wouldn't they?" Ron said confidently.

"He's right," I told Harry. "The Ministry wants to prove that they are still capable of protecting someone after what happened at the World Cup. He's still considered to be one of the Ministry's biggest problems."

"Yeah, I suppose..." Harry muttered.

"He's fine, Harry. Don't worry about it," I said.

"Look, here's the stuff Mum got for you in Diagon Alley. And she's got some gold out of your vault for you... and she's washed all your socks," Ron told Harry.

Ron heaved a pile of parcels onto Harry's camp bed and dropped the money bag and a load of socks next to it. I started helping Harry unwrap the shopping parcels. Apart from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, by Miranda Goshawk, he had a handful of new quills, a dozen rolls of parchment, and refills for his potion-making kit - apparently, he had been running low on spine of lionfish and essence of belladonna. He was just piling underwear into his cauldron when Ron made a loud noise of disgust behind us.

"What is that supposed to be?" Ron asked.

What was he holding? It looked disgusting. I couldn't tell if it was food or clothes or something completely different. He was holding up something that looked to me like a long, maroon velvet dress. I walked a few steps closer and groaned in disgust. Was that what I thought it was? It had a moldy-looking lace frill at the collar and matching lace cuffs. Yes. Those were definitely exactly what I thought they were. There was a knock on the door, and Mrs. Weasley entered, carrying an armful of freshly laundered Hogwarts robes, including my own.

"Oh, are those dress robes?" I asked Ron, smiling at the moldy clothes.

"They're disgusting!" Ron gasped.

"They're old... and classic," I said awkwardly.

"Classic?" Ron repeated, baffled.

They were just done in a traditional style. I'd seen them plenty of times before. They were just usually preserved better. "Here you are," Mrs. Weasley said, sorting them into three piles. "Now, mind you pack them properly so they don't crease."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," I said.

"Mum, you've given me Ginny's new dress," Ron said, handing it out to her.

"Of course I haven't. That's for you. Dress robes," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Told you," I snorted.

"What?" Ron asked, looking horror-struck.

"Dress robes!" Mrs. Weasley repeated. "It says on your school list that you're supposed to have dress robes this year... robes for formal occasions."

"Formal occasions?" I asked curiously. Mrs. Weasley nodded at me. "Hogwarts doesn't do anything formal."

"Apparently this year they do," Mrs. Weasley said knowingly.

It had to be something to do with the big mystery that was surrounding Hogwarts this year. "You've got to be kidding," Ron told his mother in disbelief. "I'm not wearing that, no way."

"Everyone wears them, Ron! They're all like that! Your father's got some for smart parties!" Mrs. Weasley said crossly.

"I'll go starkers before I put that on," Ron said stubbornly.

" _Please_ don't do that," I groaned.

That was the last thing I needed to see. "Don't be so silly. You've got to have dress robes, they're on your list! I got some for Harry too... show him, Harry..." Mrs. Weasley said, pointing to his suitcase.

A broad grin crossed over my face. I couldn't wait to see what Mrs. Weasley had gotten Harry. I would have loved a chance to laugh at the two of them. In some trepidation, Harry opened the last parcel on his camp bed. I hung over his shoulder curiously. It wasn't as bad as any of us had expected, however; his dress robes didn't have any lace on them at all - in fact, they were more or less the same as his school ones, except that they were bottle green instead of black. They were a more modern version of Ron's.

"I thought they'd bring out the color of your eyes, dear," Mrs. Weasley said fondly.

"Those are pretty," I said quietly.

"Well, they're okay!" Ron said angrily, looking at Harry's robes. "Why couldn't I have some like that?"

"Because... well, I had to get yours secondhand, and there wasn't a lot of choices!" Mrs. Weasley said, flushing.

That made both Harry and me swallow thickly. We had never particularly enjoyed the money conversation with the Weasley's. Harry looked away. I followed suit a moment later. I knew that he would willingly have split all the money in his Gringotts vault with the Weasley's, but we both knew that they would never take it. The Weasley's had always struggled with money but they had never taken handouts from anyone. Especially not us. Any of his friends. That would have only made things even worse for him.

"I'm never wearing them. Never," Ron was saying stubbornly.

"Fine," Mrs. Weasley snapped. "Go naked. And, Harry, make sure you get a picture of him. Goodness knows I could do with a laugh."

I laughed loudly at the thought. Something dawned on me when I glanced down at the dress robes again. "Wait a second. What about mine? If it says that we need formal dress robes... shouldn't I have something?" I asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Wait until you're in Hogsmeade, love. There's some clothing and robe stores out there that you might want to look through," Mrs. Weasley told me sweetly.

"Hmm... I suppose I'll have to take that into consideration. I wonder what it's all about? The formal things?" I asked.

"Who cares?" Ron huffed.

He definitely wasn't happy about his dress robes. I was just looking forward to the moment that he had to wear them. It definitely wasn't something that I was planning on letting him forget anytime soon. Not after everything he had teased me for. Mrs. Weasley left the room, slamming the door behind her. I felt slightly bad for her. She went through so much trouble for her kids and they were always being a pain in the ass. There was a sudden funny spluttering noise from behind us. Pigwidgeon was choking on an overlarge Owl Treat.

"Why is everything I own rubbish?" Ron asked furiously, striding across the room to unstick Pigwidgeon's beak.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _Tara and the others board the Hogwarts Express to begin their Fourth Year at Hogwarts where the mysterious event at Hogwarts continues to be a looming presence._ Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I had a great time writing all of the original content in it. Thanks so much for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Ghostie1701: Happy New Year to you as well! Well I'm honored that you stopped reading something else to read my story! That makes me so happy to hear. Things are definitely looking up for Cedric and Tara. Unfortunately I don't think Marcus is ever quite going to like Cedric that much. That's literally the expression I always think of when I think of Cedric. He just seems too perfect - as if there's such a thing. Tissues are probably a good idea lol. Tara and Draco will definitely start to become a little more prevalent throughout this book and the following ones.** **Hope you liked this one!**

 **bridget237: Thank you! I really love writing in detail, obviously. But I always appreciate people noticing it. Her parents have finally come around to the relationship just before it's time to return to Hogwarts. Hope you liked this one!**

 **Vincent FGS91: It was definitely a good game! I'm so glad that you liked it! Happy New Year to you as well. Hope you liked the new chapter!**

 **pottersimpala67: Glad to hear it. Hope you're having a good time back at college! I always loved it. Marcus had finally agreed that Cedric is good for Tara and just in time too! He's managing to play nice with Cedric but we all know that the peace won't last forever. Hope you liked this one!**

 **Mattia18: Well I do appreciate the advice. But I do already have a plan for this novel and all to follow. I don't want to give it away so I hope that you'll enjoy whatever I chose to do. As with every story, no matter which choice I pick, I know that not everyone will enjoy it. But I hope that you and everyone else gives it a chance. And her path will definitely diverge from Harry's in the near future. Here's hoping that you'll like the story no matter what I do!**


	11. Aboard the Hogwarts Express

There was a definite end-of-the-holidays gloom in the air when I awoke the next morning. We were getting back to another year of never-ending assignments and bullying from Snape and more than likely some new disaster. I wasn't ready to leave the Burrow and get back to reality. The only good thing was that I would constantly be around Cedric and the rest of my friends. Heavy rain was still splattering against the window as I got dressed in Muggle clothes; we would change into our school robes on the Hogwarts Express.

Gathering the last of the things that I would need for the upcoming year, I pulled all of my things together and pushed them into the corner of the room. Mr. Weasley would move everything out. I smiled happily as I got ready to head into the living room. Today would be the first time I would see Cedric since the dinner with my parents and I couldn't wait to run into him again. Because I knew I would see him again, I did dress up slightly. I was in a nicer pair of distressed jeans and a tank top with a leather jacket over the top.

The one good thing about having a mother who really loved fashion was that she passed down her older things - which were admittedly quite cute. Unfortunately, Hermione and Ginny both knew what I was doing. As I walked back out of the bathroom after fixing my hair, they both glanced in my direction and started laughing. I rolled my eyes at them. They were smart enough to know that I was making an effort to try and impress my boyfriend. If I was lucky, maybe the boys wouldn't notice.

"Not a word," I snapped at the girls.

"We didn't say anything," Hermione said.

But I could read it right on their faces. They thought that this was both a little funny and adorable. "Are you meeting him on the platform?" Ginny asked, placing all of her things with mine.

"I'm sure that I'll see him there. I'm not exactly sure where we're supposed to see each other," I said honestly. We never really had plans. "Usually we just kind of run into each other."

Ginny smiled. "Sounds surprisingly romantic."

"At times," I mumbled.

We all laughed as we gathered the things we needed and headed downstairs. Mrs. Weasley would likely make breakfast for us before we left for King's Cross. On our way down the stairs, we ended up meeting up with Fred, George, Harry, and Ron on the staircase. They all looked tired from what I assumed was a long night. I had been with Harry and Ron until late in the evening helping them pack. We were all tired. I glanced up as Fred and George fell into step with me. They both ruffled my hair as they walked past. I rolled my eyes, shoving them off of me.

"What the hell?" I hissed, shoving the two of them ahead of me down the stairs. "Can't I have a second of peace around you two?"

Fred turned back and grinned. "It's like you don't know us at all, Tara."

"Trust me, I know you both a little bit more than I would like to admit," I growled.

"Don't be rude, Tara," George said, turning back.

"Say the two who just attempted to throw me down the stairs," I snapped.

"Don't be overly dramatic," Fred said.

As soon as the two of them weren't paying attention, I was going to punch the two of them as hard as I could. They were walking nightmares. In the meantime, they knew that it was coming and I couldn't punch them yet. So, I settled for rolling my eyes and whacking them over the back of the heads again. Fred and George laughed at me before turning around and whacking me back - Fred hit me in the stomach and George punched me in the arm. We all exchanged a few more kicks before heading back down the stairs a little more peacefully.

Mostly because we were too tired to do anything else. But, as soon as I got the chance, I was going to punch them as hard as I could. The two of them were annoying as hell. But I wouldn't trade them for the life of me. Hermione and Ginny were finishing packing upstairs. They would be down for breakfast in a few minutes. Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and I had just reached the first-floor landing on our way down to breakfast, when Mrs. Weasley appeared at the foot of the stairs, looking harassed.

"Arthur!" she called up the staircase. "Arthur! Urgent message from the Ministry!"

My eyebrow quirked slightly. What urgent message could there have possibly been? I was absolutely certain that it wasn't anything that urgent. The Ministry liked to make a mountain out of a molehill. Harry flattened himself against the wall and pulled me with him as Mr. Weasley came clattering past with his robes put on back-to-front and hurtled out of sight. He must have been extremely out of it with the disaster after the Death Eater attack. When we all finally entered the kitchen, we saw Mrs. Weasley rummaging anxiously in the drawers.

"What do you think it is?" I whispered to Harry.

"Don't know," Harry said.

"I've got a quill here somewhere!" Mrs. Weasley called.

There must have been a message from the Ministry. Now I was curious. Ministry workers didn't leave any messages unless something really was urgent. Otherwise, they would just pop over and say something. I darted down the stairs, extremely curious as to what was going on and if my parents were at all involved. As we finally wandered downstairs, I saw that Mr. Weasley bending over the fire. He was talking to... my boyfriend's father, I thought it was. I saw Harry shut his eyes hard and open them again, probably trying to make sure that they were working properly.

Communication by fire wasn't very common but it was the most similar to using a telephone for Muggles. I really wished that they would just use those. They were much easier. As I walked up, I realized that I was right. Amos Diggory's head was sitting in the middle of the flames like a large, bearded egg. There was no sign that Cedric was anywhere near the fireplace. Mr. Diggory's head was talking very fast, completely unperturbed by the sparks flying around it and the flames licking its ears.

Harry was staring at the fireplace like he had lost his mind. "Don't worry, that's supposed to be happening," I explained to him. "It's kind of like their way of using a telephone. Amos Diggory is currently leaning over his own fireplace back home."

"Honestly, I can't believe things still surprise me," Harry said humorlessly.

"Exactly," I said, nudging him teasingly. "They're using the Floo network."

"Weird," Harry muttered.

It had never been a preferred method of communication in my household. My parents were much more progressive. They actually liked using a telephone. "Yeah... I've never been fond of that one. I used to try and look into the flames of a real fire when I was little. Almost burned my hands a few times. Eventually, Mom and Dad had to stop using the fireplace," I explained.

Harry snorted in amusement. "Brilliant, Tara."

"You set a python on your cousin. Shut up," I snapped, shoving him away.

We had both done stupid things over the years. Many times were in the presence of each other. In the meantime, Mr. Diggory's head continued talking to Mr. Weasley. "... Muggle neighbors heard bangs and shouting, so they went and called those what-d'you-call-'ems - please-men. Arthur, you've got to get over there -"

"Here!" Mrs. Weasley said breathlessly, pushing a piece of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a crumpled quill into Mr. Weasley's hands.

"- it's a real stroke of luck I heard about it," Mr. Diggory's head continued. "I had to come into the office early to send a couple of owls, and I found the Improper Use of Magic lot all setting off - if Rita Skeeter gets hold of this one, Arthur -"

"What does Mad-Eye say happened?" Mr. Weasley asked, unscrewing the ink bottle, loading up his quill, and preparing to take notes.

Mad-Eye Moody? I wasn't even aware that he was still active with the Ministry. Mr. Diggory's head rolled its eyes. "Says he heard an intruder in his yard. Says he was creeping toward the house but was ambushed by his dustbins."

"What did the dustbins do?" Mr. Weasley asked, scribbling frantically.

"Made one hell of a noise and fired rubbish everywhere, as far as I can tell," Mr. Diggory said. "Apparently one of them was still rocketing around when the please-men turned up -"

Mr. Weasley groaned. "And what about the intruder?"

"Arthur, you know Mad-Eye," Mr. Diggory's head said, rolling its eyes again. "Someone creeping into his yard in the dead of night? More likely there's a very shell-shocked cat wandering around somewhere, covered in potato peelings. But if the Improper Use of Magic lot gets their hands on Mad-Eye, he's had it - think of his record - we've got to get him off on a minor charge, something in your department - what are exploding dustbins worth?"

"Might be a caution," Mr. Weasley said, still writing very fast, his brow furrowed. "Mad-Eye didn't use his wand? He didn't actually attack anyone?"

"I'll bet he leaped out of bed and started jinxing everything he could reach through the window, but they'll have a job proving it, there aren't any casualties," Mr. Diggory said.

"All right, I'm off," Mr. Weasley said.

If they were bringing Mad-Eye Moody into the picture, things must have been much worse than I had thought that they were. Mad-Eye barely even left his house anymore. If they were talking to him about everything, they were getting desperate. I turned back to Mr. Weasley long enough to see him stuff the parchment with his notes on it into his pocket and dash out of the kitchen again. Harry looked quite confused about their conversation - as he usually did about these things.

"Who's Mad-Eye?" Harry asked.

"Alastor Moody. He's one of the most famous Auror's ever. He was a pivotal member of their force during the Wizarding War. He gained himself quite a considerable reputation, as well as losing an eye, leg, and part of his nose while fighting. He's responsible for most of the inhabited cells in Azkaban with how many Dark Wizards and Witches he's caught. It was great for us, but as a result, Moody became overly-cautious and paranoid about his security. Got him the nickname Mad-Eye," I told him.

Harry nodded blankly. "Why 'Eye,' though?"

"He's got a magical eye that rolls around in its socket," I said. Harry's eyes almost shot out of their sockets. I snorted under my breath. "I've seen Mad-Eye a few times. Trust me, you'll know who he is without having to ask if you ever see him."

"Have you ever talked to him?" Harry asked.

"No. My parents didn't want him scaring me. Probably for the best. Mad-Eye's a legend, but he's also nuts," I said.

Mad-Eye had been at the Magical Congress a few times when I was younger but Mom and Dad would always send me off whenever he dropped by. Apparently, he wasn't very good with children. Now that I was older though, I really wanted to meet him. He seemed so fascinating and he was a complete legend in the Wizarding World. But I also knew that he couldn't really talk about the Wizarding War. He had a pretty bad form of post-traumatic stress disorder. In the meantime, Mr. Diggory's head looked around at Mrs. Weasley.

"Sorry about this, Molly, bothering you so early and everything... but Arthur's the only one who can get Mad-Eye off, and Mad-Eye's supposed to be starting his new job today," Mr. Diggory said, more calmly this time. I stared at them curiously. Mad-Eye hadn't had a real job since the Wizarding War had ended. "Why he had to choose last night..."

"New job?" Harry asked, clearly as curious as I was.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "Mad-Eye hasn't really worked in years."

"Never mind, Amos. Sure you won't have a bit of toast or anything before you go?" Mr. Weasley offered amicably.

"Oh go on, then," Mr. Diggory said.

It would always be impossible for me to understand how you could give someone something through a fireplace. Even being a Pureblood, I really didn't understand so much of the Wizarding World. I shifted a little further into the living room. I could barely hear some rummaging around in the background. I assumed that Cedric was finishing getting ready to head to King's Cross. Mrs. Weasley took a piece of buttered toast from a stack on the kitchen table, put it into the fire tongs, and transferred it into Mr. Diggory's mouth.

 _Still weird_... "Fanks," Mr. Diggory said in a muffled voice, and then, with a small pop, vanished.

Harry looked over at me and I shook my head. Sometimes it was for the best to not ask what was going on. Harry shook his head as if to clear his head from what had just happened, before dragging me over to the kitchen with him. As we closed in on the kitchen I could hear Mr. Weasley calling hurried goodbyes to Bill, Charlie, Percy, and the girls. Apparently, they had finally gotten their things together. Within five minutes, Mr. Weasley was back in the kitchen, his robes on the right way now, dragging a comb through his hair.

"I'd better hurry - you have a good term, boys," Mr. Weasley said to Harry, Ron, and the twins, fastening a cloak over his shoulders and preparing to Disapparate. "Molly, are you going to be all right taking the kids to King's Cross?"

"Of course I will," Mrs. Weasley told him. "You just look after Mad-Eye, we'll be fine."

"Bye, Mr. Weasley," I said, giving him a bright smile.

"Goodbye, kids," Mr. Weasley called to everyone else.

We all said goodbye one more time before he turned and Disapparated. I was grateful that I would get some time to see Mom and Dad before heading off to Hogwarts. I felt like I had barely seen them for the last two weeks. Much due in part to their high-rankings in the Ministry. I was lucky that I had even seen them as much as I had for the end of the summer. There was a loud crack and, as Mr. Weasley vanished, Bill and Charlie entered the kitchen. They were the last two to arrive for breakfast.

"Did someone say Mad-Eye?" Bill asked. "What's he been up to now?"

"He says someone tried to break into his house last night," Mrs. Weasley said.

"He always does," I pointed out.

"Mad-Eye Moody?" George asked thoughtfully, spreading marmalade on his toast. "Isn't he that nutter -"

"Your father thinks very highly of Mad-Eye Moody," Mrs. Weasley said sternly.

Mad-Eye Moody was definitely a nutter. Although I did enjoy listening to stories about him. "Everyone thinks highly of Mad-Eye but he's still nuts," I said quietly, half-hoping that Mrs. Weasley wouldn't hear me.

Thankfully, she didn't. "Yeah, well, Dad collects plugs, doesn't he?" Fred said quietly as Mrs. Weasley left the room. I snorted at him. "Birds of a feather..."

"Oh, come on. Mad-Eye's a little scary but he's cool," I told Fred. He stared at me. "He was one of the best Auror's ever."

"Dad still collects plugs," Fred pointed out.

Wizards were complete morons. They were interesting with their inventions but they made things way more complicated than they needed to be. "Well... wizards thought that traveling by flimsy broomsticks and smashing through fireplaces was a better way to travel than by... you know... cars," I pointed out. Fred hummed his agreement, looking surprised at my comment. "We all have oddities about ourselves."

"You love flying," Fred said.

"Yes, I do. When I'm playing Quidditch. But I definitely like traveling in cars for regular travel a little more. At least I might not fall a thousand feet to my death if I make a wrong move," I told him.

"But you could drive head-on into traffic," Fred said.

"Stop arguing with me this early in the morning," I snapped.

"You know you're losing," Fred teased.

He might have been right about that, but I wasn't planning on ever admitting it. "Just wait until you need someone to handle your finances at Weasley Wizard Wheezes. You'll never know when I might make a little mistake on the financial calculations," I warned him.

Fred scowled. "Pitch you over the edge of your Astronomy Tower, I will."

There was something in his voice - and in his comment - that struck me as funny. I had never mentioned the Astronomy Tower meetups with Cedric to him. But did he know about them? "What do you mean -?"

"Moody was a great wizard in his time," Bill said, interrupting our conversation.

"He's an old friend of Dumbledore's, isn't he?" Charlie asked.

Considering Dumbledore was a prominent fighter in the Wizarding War and well over one hundred-years-old, most people knew him. "Pretty sure everyone's an old friend of Dumbledore's," I pointed out.

"Dumbledore's not what you'd call normal, though, is he?" Fred asked. I laughed. Dumbledore was anything but normal. "I mean, I know he's a genius and everything..."

"Who is Mad-Eye?" Harry asked.

"Don't trust my opinion on him?" I teased.

Harry motioned discreetly over to Hermione, who looked quite confused. I knew that she never wanted to admit that she didn't know something. "Who is he?" Hermione whispered to Ginny.

"He's retired, used to work at the Ministry," Charlie answered Harry. "I met him once when Dad took me into work with him. He was an Auror - one of the best..."

Harry was giving a blank look. Did he really not even know what an Auror was? He was the most clueless person I'd ever met. "Honestly, Harry. Have you ever _listened_ in any of our classes?" I groaned.

"A Dark wizard catcher," Charlie explained, also seeing Harry's blank look. "Half the cells in Azkaban are full because of him. He made himself loads of enemies, though... the families of people he caught, mainly... and I heard he's been getting really paranoid in his old age. Doesn't trust anyone anymore. Sees Dark wizards everywhere."

"That's half the reason his house is booby-trapped to all hell," I added.

"Is it?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Last Dad told me, he almost lost a toe from one of his traps when he went over and tried to reassure Mad-Eye that his house wasn't being broken into by Death Eaters," I explained.

"When was that?" Bill asked.

"Last week," I answered. "Apparently he's been even worse since the World Cup."

Everyone laughed quietly. "That ought to be eventful," Charlie snorted.

Calls into the Ministry would likely get even worse from Mad-Eye. He used to call once a month. Now he seemed to be calling twice a week. Dad said that Mad-Eye really needed to get a new job to keep himself occupied. Apparently, he had managed to go out and get himself one. When Mrs. Weasley came back to the kitchen we quickly moved on from talking about Mad-Eye to the start of the new year. Bill and Charlie decided to come and see everyone off at King's Cross station, but Percy, apologizing most profusely, said that he really needed to get to work.

"I just can't justify taking more time off at the moment," he told us.

"You're not even going to come and say goodbye to your siblings?" I asked disbelievingly.

He might not have gotten along wonderfully with his siblings, but literally, everyone else was going. Save Mr. Weasley, who couldn't afford to take off after his mistake. "Mr. Crouch is really starting to rely on me," Percy told me as if that changed things.

"Yeah, you know what, Percy?" George said seriously. "I reckon he'll know your name soon."

For a moment I had thought that George was actually going to be nice. But I should have known better. So, I snorted in amusement. As did the rest of the family. I really did love when the twins harassed their older brother. Actually, I enjoyed when everyone harassed Percy. He was way too big-headed. Especially for a family like the Weasley's. As much as I did like Percy sometimes, I wished that he would get a sense of humor and interact with his family more often. They loved him. He just couldn't see it.

We were midway through breakfast when Harry turned to me and said, "Where are your parents?"

"They're meeting us at the platform to say goodbye," I told him.

They had promised that they would meet us on the platform and hang around for at least a few minutes to say goodbye. They had wanted to stop by last night but hadn't gotten the chance. Apparently, they hadn't gotten back home since midnight. That was what they had said to me in their letter last night. At least when we were on the platform today I could trust that I wouldn't have to worry about any conversation with Cedric. Although, I had warned him to continue avoiding showing any affection for me beyond a hug or hand-hold. It was baby steps.

We all ate our breakfasts quickly - a meager few slices of toast and sausages - before moving our things out into the yard. Bill and Charlie made a good help getting the bags and boxes and trunks. I supposed that she knew that we would all start buying candy and snacks off of the candy cart on the Hogwarts Express. For our trip, Mrs. Weasley had braved the telephone in the village post office to order three ordinary Muggle taxis to take us into London. I was almost impressed that someone in the family knew how to use a Muggle telephone.

It was about an hour later that we were finally ready to leave. "Arthur tried to borrow Ministry cars for us," Mrs. Weasley whispered to Harry and I as we stood in the rain-washed yard, watching the taxi drivers heaving seven heavy Hogwarts trunks into their cars. "But there weren't any to spare."

As she walked off, I leaned over to Harry. "Hmm... Wonder why they wouldn't want Mr. Weasley using Ministry cars when the last one is still currently making the Forbidden Forest its home?" I whispered.

"In retrospect, we probably should have just waited," Harry replied.

"I should kill you. Whose fault was that entire thing?" I snapped.

"Dobby's," Harry answered.

Was he kidding? Dobby might have sealed the barrier, but Ron and Harry had been the two to come up with the harebrained idea to fly the Anglia to Hogwarts. "Yours, you moron!" I snapped as Ron walked up to us. "You two wanted to go take the car and go to Hogwarts. If you had just listened to me we would still have the Ford Anglia."

Ron rolled his eyes. "We fly the car into a tree one time and you never let us forget it."

"It's was a Whomping Willow!" I snapped.

"Note that we're still alive," Ron pointed out.

"No thanks to the two of you, mind you," I hissed.

That was definitely not something that I would forget anytime soon. Neither would the Whomping Willow. I swore that it still held a grudge against us after the crash at the beginning of Second Year. The tree certainly had tried its damnedest to kill us when we had run past it to try and get to the entrance of the Shrieking Shack at the end of last year. The Whomping Willow didn't really like anyone but it definitely held a grudge against the three of us more than anyone else.

"Oh dear, they don't look happy, do they?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking at the Muggle taxi drivers, having walked back toward us.

"Those poor men," I muttered.

Those trunks had to weigh as much as we did. Not only that, but we had way too many things to fit into the taxis. It would be a tight squeeze. I decided that it wouldn't make much sense to tell Mrs. Weasley that Muggle taxi drivers rarely transported overexcited owls, and Pigwidgeon was making an earsplitting racket. Nor did it help that a number of Filibuster's Fabulous No-Heat, Wet-Start Fireworks went off unexpectedly when Fred's trunk sprang open, causing the driver carrying it to yell with fright and pain as Crookshanks clawed his way up the man's leg.

All of that only mere minutes into the ride. We hadn't even made it out of the front yard... "Freddie!" I snapped at him.

He was sitting just in front of me. He turned back, looking more concerned for his lost fireworks than he was for the man's leg and well-being. "It was an accident!" Fred whisper-yelled back.

"That poor man is never going to forget this," I groaned, looking up at the panicking Muggle.

"We've made an interesting trip for him," Fred said.

"Not interesting, Freddie. Annoying," I corrected.

Fred smiled and jumped into the backseat with us. Since he was so tall, his attempt to get into the seat with us wasn't easy. He was hitting himself on the roof of the car and crushing us in the process. I whacked him on the back as he shoved Harry out of the way. Ron hopped into the front seat to make some room in the back for Fred. The poor Muggle taxi driver looked like he was going to lose his mind in between the kids switching seats in the middle of the ride and the monstrous animals. The constant noise and attacking.

"You get to spend an entire year in close quarters with me, too," Fred said, finally settling himself into the spot next to me, in between Harry. "Aren't you excited?"

"Somehow I doubt this is going to just be for a year. I get the feeling that I'm going to be stuck with you forever," I groaned playfully.

Fred smiled. "Correct you are."

"Lucky me," I moaned.

"Aren't you?" Fred teased.

Needless to say, Fred was one of the most annoying people in the world. But I wouldn't have traded him for the entire world - as much as I might have wanted to sometimes. We both laughed as Fred leaned over and wrapped an arm across my shoulders. I smiled gently as I tucked my head into his shoulder. I was still extremely tired from the night before and I typically used Fred as a pillow whenever I was tired. He was one of the most comfortable people I knew. But my nap on Fred's shoulder was short-lived.

This wasn't a normal nap on the couch of the Common Room or on the floor of the Burrow living room. This was cramped and hot. The journey was uncomfortable, owing to the fact that we were jammed in the back of the taxis with our trunks. It was one of the most uncomfortable positions I had ever managed to find myself in. Crookshanks took quite a while to recover from the fireworks, and by the time we finally entered London over an hour later, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I were all severely scratched. Somehow Fred had managed to come out mostly unscathed.

"I hate that cat, Hermione," I groaned, pulling into King's Cross station.

"Agreed," Harry and Ron said together.

Hermione looked quite affronted as she asked, "What's wrong with Crookshanks?"

"Would you like to see the scars?" I offered, tugging up my sleeve.

It wasn't just from today. Crookshanks had left many bites and scratches on me before that. "It's because Crookshanks knows that you hate him!" Hermione gasped. "If you would just be nice to him -"

"He started it! The only reason I haven't offered him as a treat to Dai is because he..." I trailed off the moment that I remembered that the others didn't know about Pettigrew and what had happened last year. They were all looking at us curiously. I forced myself to swallow thickly and change subjects. "You know what? Never mind."

"What was that about?" Fred asked.

"Mind your business," I snapped.

The last thing that I needed was for everyone else to realize that Peter Pettigrew had been the one who had killed those twelve Muggles all those years ago. It would come out someday, but on a normal ride to King's Cross wasn't the right time. Fred glared at me - probably annoyed that I wouldn't tell him the truth - and whacked me over the back of the head. I scowled as I ducked down. It was one of his favorite comebacks whenever I annoyed him. I reached out and shoved him ahead of me. He laughed as he stumbled into the street.

It was needless to say that we were all very relieved to get out at King's Cross, even though the rain was coming down harder than ever. It had only been a light drizzle when we had left Ottery St. Catchpole in the morning. It was now a full-on downpour. _Just what I wanted to start off the year_... We got soaked carrying our trunks across the busy road and into the station. I shook out my hair and dropped my things onto one of the trolleys, heading off toward Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, determined to have a normal year this time.

As our large group waltzed onto the platform I glanced around and smiled. There were a number of people from Hogwarts milling around the platform. Which made sense. I always saw Hogwarts students hanging around on the platform. As usual, we didn't talk to each other. It was mostly to avoid alerting the Muggles as to why there were so many kids who all seemed to know each other. It was kind of the unspoken rule. Wait until you're on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters to speak to each other. As we came closer to the barrier, I noticed my parents milling around, waiting for us.

"Good to see that you all got here in a timely manner," Mom teased as I walked up to her.

"You're that faithless in us?" I asked huffily.

Mom smiled. "I know how hard it is to wake you up before the crack of noon."

"Hah-hah," I snapped. I'd gotten used to Hermione waking me up at eight in the morning while we were at Hogwarts. "I'm not that bad."

"No. Jules, I think she's made it to eleven by now. Let's give the girl a break," Dad said, grinning at us.

Not even together for sixty seconds and they were already making fun of me. "You two should have stayed at the Ministry if you were just going to be rude to me," I growled, folding my arms over my chest.

"It's called honesty, Tara," Dad teased.

 _Here it comes_... "Go on. Make the obvious joke," I snapped.

Dad shook his head. "Can't do that. It would be too obvious."

"Wouldn't we all just hate that?" I said.

All three of us laughed. At least he wasn't going to mention my slight (extreme dishonesty) about my relationship with Cedric. Mom glanced around the crowded platform before looking back at me. "Where's Cedric?" she asked.

"He said that he would be somewhere on the platform," I told her, looking around. I couldn't see him yet. But he was usually earlier than I was. "If I don't see him there I'm sure he'll be somewhere on the train."

"Because some people don't go to school in a flying car," Dad said.

"Some people don't know how to have a good time," I replied.

Dad laughed but Mom looked like she was about to strangle me. "If I get one letter saying that you've found a hidden chamber or flown a car into the Whomping Willow or -"

"Jules, Jules, honestly, we could be going at this all day if you list the illegal things the kids have ever done," Dad said, trying to calm her down.

My jaw dropped. Did we really do that many illegal things? I didn't think so. "Oh, come on! We're not that bad!" I snapped. Dad rolled his eyes as Mom let out a humorless laugh. "You two must have done some horrible things when you were in Hogwarts."

"No," Dad said quickly.

Mom immediately turned to him and narrowed her eyes. "Even I'll admit that that's a complete lie," she said. Dad huffed at her as I laughed. "How many times did you and your friends get yourself into trouble?"

"Not as much as this one," Dad told her, motioning to me. "Two hundred and five points? That was a good one, Tara."

"I told you! We were trying to protect Hagrid!" I snapped.

"That was a very honorable thing that you did," Mom said, placing her hand on my shoulder. "You got it from your father."

"Just work on not getting caught, yeah?" Dad teased.

"Marcus!" Mom yelled.

"Just kidding," Dad said, smiling at me. "Stop breaking the rules."

"Yeah, sure," I chuckled.

They both knew that there was no way I was going to stop breaking the rules. There was no way. Not with Harry in my life. Not to mention my own love of mischief. We all laughed as we walked a little further into the station, catching up with Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley's. As we walked, I tried to find Cedric but it was an impossible task in the crowded station. It was way too hard to find anyone. I figured that I would eventually manage to find him on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

We were all was used to getting onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters by now. Unlike Ilvermorny - where students were asked to travel using Muggle transportation to the school - Hogwarts had a much more complicated process of getting to the campus. For someone familiar with the process, it was easy. It was a simple matter of walking straight through the apparently solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. The only tricky part was doing that in an unobtrusive way, so as to avoid attracting Muggle attention.

We all did it in groups today; Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I (the most conspicuous, since we were accompanied by Pigwidgeon, Crookshanks, and Dai) went first; we leaned casually against the barrier, chatting unconcernedly, and slid sideways through it. Sometimes I was tempted to let one of the Muggles see us slip through a solid brick wall but I knew that I would get in a ton of trouble if I did that. As we did so, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters materialized in front of us and I smiled.

The Hogwarts Express, a gleaming scarlet steam engine, was already there, clouds of steam billowing from it, through which the many Hogwarts students and parents on the platform appeared like dark ghosts. I smiled, glad to finally be on our way to the castle. Pigwidgeon became noisier than ever in response to the hooting of many owls through the mist. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I set off to find seats and were soon stowing our luggage in a compartment halfway along the train. We hopped back down onto the platform to say good-bye to Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, and my parents.

We were just a few minutes out from when the train would depart. "Please don't get expelled," Mom begged, pulling me into a hug.

"Mom!" I yelped, pulling out of her grip.

"Have a little faith in the girl, Jules," Dad said.

"I have plenty of faith in her. But I also know who her father is," Mom told Dad, smiling at him. I rolled my eyes at them. Gross... She then turned to look at me. Actually, she was looking over my head. "Looks like you have a visitor."

"Huh?" I asked blankly, turning back toward where she was looking. Immediately I caught sight of Cedric walking over to us. "Hi."

Cedric smiled, pulling me into a hug. "Expect we won't be seeing you fly a car into the Whomping Willow this year, then?" he asked.

How boring would that be? We couldn't be a repeat act. That would have made it look like we were running out of ideas. "Oh, never say never. But we can't keep doing the same thing over and over again. We have to keep trying for new things or else everyone gets bored," I teased, gently whacking him on the chest. "We have to do the unexpected, Cedric."

"Unexpected..." Cedric said thoughtfully. "Manage to graduate and not get expelled?"

"See?" Mom said, looking back at me. "It's not just me."

"Oh, you're both hilarious," I snapped.

Cedric smiled and walked over to Mom. She pulled him into a hug. "Good to see you, Mrs. Nox," Cedric said.

"You as well, Cedric," she said.

"Hi Mr. Nox," Cedric greeted, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Cedric," Dad greeted. Surprisingly enough, he was smiling at him. "Ready for a new year?"

"Yeah, I am. I'll be taking Alchemy this year," Cedric said.

"Will you?" Dad asked. Cedric nodded. "Jules wanted to take that in her Sixth Year."

In two years I was going to try and take Alchemy. It sounded so cool. "Not enough demand for it in my time, I'm afraid," Mom told Cedric. I raised a brow. There had to be a demand for Alchemy for the school to offer it? "You'll have to let me know next summer how the class treated you."

"It'll be my pleasure," Cedric told her.

She smiled at him again before turning back to me. "No letters home about anything illegal, you hear me?" Mom warned.

"Yes," I said.

"Doubt she'll have time this year," Dad said, grinning at her.

Huh? "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked sharply.

"You'll see," all three of them said.

More about this stupid thing that was happening at Hogwarts that no one would tell me about. "Okay, I should have never let the three of you get to know each other. I'll be regretting that one forever," I groaned. All three of them smiled at each other. "On that note, I think I'll head to the train."

They were all still laughing as I went to walk away. They were such nightmares. All three of them. Mom and Dad always did everything possible to embarrass me and Cedric wouldn't tell me the truth of what was happening at Hogwarts. Useless people. I'd gotten a few feet away from them when I remembered that I had just left Cedric alone with my parents. My stomach churned in knots slightly. The last thing I needed to do was leave him alone with them. That could definitely end badly for everyone involved.

Stopping dead in my tracks, I turned back and ran after Cedric, grabbing his wrist and pulling him with me. "On second thought, you come with me," I said, dragging him ahead.

There was absolutely no way that I was going to leave Cedric with my parents. They were definitely going to ruin things. Either tell embarrassing stories or learn way too much about my nights in the Astronomy Tower. Thankfully they thought it was funny. Everyone laughed as my parents followed us back toward the train. I smiled as Cedric laced our fingers together. I could hear Dad complaining about us as we walked off. But I also heard Mom tell him to be quiet. I was extremely grateful that the feud between us all was finally over.

"Where are your parents?" I asked Cedric.

Mr. Diggory had seemed busy for work in the fireplace earlier, but I didn't see anyone who looked like she would have been Cedric's mother. "They both said goodbye at the house," Cedric said. I frowned. His parents weren't even going to come to say goodbye for five minutes? Even my parents had shown up. "They're at the Ministry right now. They couldn't get away from work."

"Oh," I said dumbly. "That's too bad."

He smiled at me. "It's alright, Tara. I got my chance to say goodbye. Oh, but my mother did ask if you would come over for dinner one night over the summer," Cedric said, his voice brightening slightly. Having not been expecting that one, I managed to stupidly trip up over my feet, almost smashing my chin on the pavement. Cedric caught me at the last second. "Are you alright?"

"What?" I asked him blankly. Meeting Cedric's mother was never something I had imagined. I mean, I'd figured that it was coming but I had never really thought it would come. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. No, that'd be really... nice. I've known you for years and we're dating now yet I've never met your mother. For a few years, I thought she was dead, as a matter of fact. Yeah, that'll be great."

Cedric smiled at me. "Are you nervous?"

For as many parents as I'd met before, I had never met a boyfriend's mother. It seemed... intense. "Honestly, a little bit," I said awkwardly. "I've... I don't know. I mean, your dad is nice and all but your mom -"

"Is a human being who has heard nothing but good things about you," Cedric interrupted politely. "She's nothing to be afraid of. I promise."

"What if she doesn't like me?" I asked nervously.

Cedric smiled. "It's impossible not to."

"Ask Malfoy," I said.

"I suppose that I should have clarified that I only meant people who counted," Cedric countered.

At least I wasn't the only person who thought that Malfoy's opinion of me didn't count. I laughed loudly and threw my head back as we headed back toward the train. My parents were following closely behind us. The others all began saying goodbye to each other as the train whistle blew, warning us that the Hogwarts Express was about to take off. I smiled as some of my friends moved off to take their seats on the train. I was standing up against the pillar near one of the doors to the train.

"I'll let you say goodbye to your friends now," Cedric said, smiling at me.

"Okay." He went to move off when I remembered something. "Oh, wait!" I yelled, grabbing Cedric's hand and pulling him back to me. "Will you tell me what's going on at Hogwarts now?"

"No," Cedric said.

 _Traitor_... "Never mind then. Go away," I snapped.

Just because no one would tell me what was going on, now I was actually curious about what was happening. But they apparently weren't going to tell me. Cedric laughed at my annoyance as I shoved him away from me. He stopped just long enough to give my mother a brief hug and shake my father's hand. I rolled my eyes as they warned me to be nice to him. He gave me a quick grin before heading back into the train with his friends. I knew that I would see him a little bit later. After I got over the fact that he wouldn't tell me what was going on.

"Be good," Mom warned, walking up to me.

"Don't get expelled," Dad added.

So, not only did I need the warning to be good now, but I also needed one to keep me from getting expelled. "Astounding, the faith you have in your own child," I growled, staring at them.

"It's only because you are our child that we know the trouble you can get into," Mom said.

"Relax, I'll be fine," I said.

Did I really get myself in that much trouble? I didn't think that I was that bad. "Doubt you'll have the time to get in trouble," Dad said, smiling playfully at me.

If no one would tell me what was going on, I wasn't going to hang around here. "On that note, I think I'll be gone," I said huffily.

They both laughed again but I was definitely serious about that one. I didn't want to be with them if they weren't going to tell me what was going on at school. I was finally sick of not knowing what it was. I stayed at their sides long enough to give them both tight hugs. As much as they annoyed me sometimes, I still loved them both desperately. I really did miss them when I was away at school. I just hoped that we would all be able to spend more time together next summer.

As I pulled away from Mom, I smiled at them again. "We'll be home more next summer. Promise," Dad said.

"I'll be counting on it. As lame as it might sound, I really do miss you guys while I'm at school," I said.

They both looked quite surprised that I had admitted to missing them. "Oh, sweetheart," Mom whispered.

The moment that I'd said it, I realized that I probably shouldn't have. She moved forward and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. I opened my mouth to take it back when Dad yelled, "You already said it, you can't take it back!"

"Wonderful," I groaned.

We all laughed again. "Come on," Mom said, finally releasing me. "Let's get you on the train."

The train whistle blew, letting us know that the train was about to depart from the station. All of the kids all over the station began making their way to the train. We walked back over to where the Weasley's, Harry, and Hermione were standing. Hermione had already said goodbye to her parents just before coming to the Burrow for the Quidditch World Cup. I was a little surprised to hear that they weren't coming to see her off but I knew that she would write to them. I smiled at the others and walked into the middle of the group of Weasley's.

"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think," Charlie said, grinning, as he hugged Ginny good-bye.

"Why?" Fred asked keenly.

"You'll see," Charlie said.

Just like my parents and Cedric, now Charlie wouldn't tell us what was happening at Hogwarts. "Another person who still won't tell us what's going on," I groaned, crossing my arms.

"Do you know what's going on?" Fred asked me.

"All I know is that it has nothing to do with Quidditch," I told him.

Fred's brows knitted crossly. "What's the fun in that?"

"Exactly," I said.

"Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it... it's 'classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it,' after all," Charlie continued.

"If Percy cares anything about it, I'm sure it's lame," I huffed.

Everyone snorted in amusement. I would never admit it in front of Percy, but it actually seemed kind of interesting. It had to be since all of the Wizarding World seemed to be thrilled about whatever event Hogwarts was having this year. "Yeah, I sort of wish I was back at Hogwarts this year," Bill said, hands in his pockets, looking almost wistfully at the train.

"Why?" George asked impatiently.

"You're going to have an interesting year," Bill said inconclusively, his eyes twinkling. I rolled my eyes. That still wasn't an answer. "I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it."

"A bit of what?" Ron asked.

That was when something struck me as interesting about his comment. "Watch it? Is it a competition?" I asked.

Bill turned and smiled. "I've got a feeling you probably know what it is, Tara."

"I do?" I asked dumbly.

Dad smiled and whacked Bill on the back amicably. "Watch it, Bill. You wouldn't want your brother finding out that you've given away 'classified information' from the Ministry," he said.

Bill smiled guiltily. "Right you are, Marcus. We'll be seeing you all soon. You can write in the meantime."

The others looked furious that they wouldn't tell us what was going on. I was halfway tempted to follow Cedric around the train until he told me what was going on. But I had a feeling he would just hex me if I did that. I thought about asking Mom and Dad again, but at that moment, the whistle blew. I would have to get someone on the train to tell me now. Mrs. Weasley chivvied us toward the train doors. Fred and George were still complaining at their older brothers. We climbed on board, closed the door, and leaned out of the window to talk to the others.

"Thanks for having us to stay, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said.

"Yeah, thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley," Harry added.

"We had a ton of fun. Thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley.," I chirped.

"Oh it was my pleasure, dears," Mrs. Weasley said fondly. "I'd invite you for Christmas, but... well, I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with... one thing and another."

Huh? The others looked about confused as I was. "Mum!" Ron bellowed irritably. "What do you three know that we don't?"

"They all know about it, Ron," I said, pointing to my own parents.

That only served to make Ron even more cross. "You'll find out this evening, I expect," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling. "It's going to be very exciting - mind you, I'm very glad they've changed the rules -"

"What rules?" Harry, Ron, Fred, and George asked together.

That was when it dawned on me. Was Bill right? Did I know what they were talking about? I thought that they were talking about some kind of competition. But I hadn't heard about it in years. It had been eradicated forever ago. My idea might have been a little bit farfetched - seeing as the competition had long been illegal because of all of the deaths attributed to it - but I also had an inkling that I might have been right. If anyone liked danger, it was Dumbledore. Plus, it explained why my parents thought it was great. They had always loved the idea of it.

"Hang on," I said, far too impatient to wait until tonight to find out if I was right. "Are you all talking about the T -"

"No!" everyone on the platform yelled together.

So, I was definitely right. "Okay... Weirdos..." I muttered.

"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling pleasantly at us. "Now, behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George?"

That was just about one of the funniest jokes I'd ever heard. The very thought of Fred and George trying to behave themselves was definitely humorous. The two of them wouldn't know good behavior if it bit them on the ass. I snorted under my breath as I leaned back out of the window to hug my parents goodbye. The others did the same with Mrs. Weasley, who was still scolding Fred and George. But we all knew that they wouldn't ever genuinely behave. At that moment, the pistons hissed loudly and the train began to move.

"Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!" Fred bellowed out of the window as Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie sped away from us. "What rules are they changing?"

But Mrs. Weasley only smiled and waved. So did the others. There was no way that they were ever going to tell us. I couldn't help but wonder how many people on the train actually knew what was happening at the school this year. It couldn't have been that many. If it was, I knew that it would spread all over the students well before we arrived at Hogwarts. Before the Hogwarts Express had rounded the corner out of King's Cross, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Mom, and Dad had Disapparated. Most of them back to work.

The moment that they were out of sight, Fred turned back to me. "Do you know what it is?" he asked.

"I'm starting to think that I might," I admitted.

"What is it?" Fred asked eagerly.

Snorting under my breath, I shook my head. "Yeah, right. If I had to suffer without knowing the truth, so do you," I told him. Fred looked as though I had just punched him in the face. "Plus, I don't even know if I'm right. I don't want to hear about it for the next month I'm wrong."

"Tell me!" Fred barked.

At this point, I wasn't going to tell him just because it was funny to watch him struggle. "No!" I shouted back. Fred scowled at me. "You're a Pureblood, figure it out yourself. I guarantee you already know what it is."

Fred scowled again. "Prat."

 _That's nice_. "Thanks," I hissed.

Fred grinned at me playfully and leaned down to press a kiss against my temple. I rolled my eyes and shoved him away from me. That didn't excuse calling me a prat, although I'd definitely heard much worse. Fred really was a complete pain in the ass. But I wouldn't trade him for the entire world. He had long since been one of my best friends. He gathered his things and headed off with George and Lee - who had shown up as the train departed. I assumed that they were going to talk about the joke shop progress over the summer. I supposed that I would talk to them about it later.

Once the twins had taken off, we did the same. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I went back to our compartment. The thick rain splattering the windows made it very difficult to see out of them. I frowned. The rides were always nicer when it was sunny. I didn't like the rain. It reminded me of our last train ride in which Dementors had come aboard the train and tried to perform the Kiss on me. As I stared out the window, Ron undid his trunk, pulled out his maroon dress robes, and flung them over Pigwidgeon's cage to muffle his hooting.

"Bagman wanted to tell us what's happening at Hogwarts," Ron said grumpily, sitting down next to Harry as Hermione took a spot next to me on the other side of the compartment. "At the World Cup, remember? But my own mother won't say. Do you know what it is, Tara?"

"Got a feeling I might," I answered.

"What is it?" Ron asked eagerly.

"Relax. We'll find out tonight. Another few hours won't kill you," I told him.

Ron looked just as aghast that I wouldn't tell him the truth as I had been when Cedric and my parents wouldn't tell me. "That's not fair! We're your friends!" Ron shouted, motioning between himself, Harry, and Hermione.

"So, as my friends, you'll understand that I'm not telling you," I said teasingly.

"Leave her alone, Ron. We'll find out tonight," Hermione said.

 _That makes things much less amusing_... "You're not the slightest bit curious as to what it is?" I asked Hermione.

Hermione nodded. "Of course. But I'm not giving you the satisfaction of getting me to ask when I know you'll be more than happy to tell me no."

I grinned. "Look who's learning how I operate."

We all laughed. "Do you really know what it is?" Harry asked.

Unless I was way over-complicating things, there was only one possible answer. "I have an idea but I'm really not sure. It doesn't seem right. My idea is pretty far-fetched. I'd be surprised if I was right, honestly," I told them. I wanted to be right but it would have been extremely surprising if I was. "I was thinking that it was this thing schools used to do a long time ago."

"What's that mean?" Ron asked sharply.

He was a Pureblood and he still didn't understand it... He had to have heard it from his siblings growing up. "If that didn't give it away, you'll never guess it," I told him honestly.

"Come on, Tara!" Ron whined.

"No," I said firmly.

"She's never going to tell you," Harry told Ron. "What do you think it is?"

"No idea," Ron admitted. "Something dangerous probably. Wonder who else might -"

"Shh!" Hermione whispered suddenly.

We all immediately stopped talking and looked over at her. She was pressing her finger to her lips and pointing toward the compartment next to ours. She had clearly just overheard something that she wanted to hear. Harry, Ron, and I listened, and I immediately heard a familiar drawling voice drifting in through the open door that sent my heart plummeting into my stomach. Somehow I supposed I had hoped that he might have fallen into a viper-infested pit over the summer. Wishful thinking, I guessed.

"Oh, joy," I groaned.

"Be quiet!" Hermione hissed.

"... Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore - the man's such a Mudblood lover - and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riffraff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defense rubbish we do..."

Malfoy had almost ended up in Durmstrang. I would have never guessed that he had almost gone there. It was rare that someone from England went to school anywhere but Hogwarts. I wished that he _had_ gone there. It would have made one less thing for me to deal with at school. It was too bad that Mrs. Malfoy had decided to keep him closer to home. Why couldn't they have just moved to Scandinavia to be closer to Durmstrang? Hermione got up, tiptoed to the compartment door, and slid it shut, blocking out Malfoy's still-droning voice.

"So, he thinks Durmstrang would have suited him, does he?" Hermione asked angrily. She was the only one of us who got genuinely cruel insults hurled at her from Malfoy. "I wish he had gone, then we wouldn't have to put up with him."

"You know if Malfoy wasn't here, Zabini would have taken his place," I pointed out.

"Who?" Harry asked blankly.

"Blaise Zabini," I repeated. Harry continued to stare at me. I rolled my eyes. "He's in our year, Harry. He's one of Malfoy's cohorts. Just doesn't listen to him as blindly as Crabbe and Goyle do."

Harry nodded before turning back to Hermione. "Durmstrang's another wizarding school?"

"Yes, and it's got a horrible reputation. According to An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe, it puts a lot of emphasis on the Dark Arts," Hermione said irritably.

"It's because their Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, used to be a Death Eater," I explained.

Ron looked unperturbed at the news but Hermione and Harry whipped back around to me. "They put him in charge of a school?" Hermione asked disbelievingly.

He was only one of many accused Death Eaters who went back to normal after Harry's defeat of Voldemort. "It's his school to do with as he pleases. He was of a lot of use to the Ministry after the end of the Wizarding War, calling out other Death Eaters and putting them in Azkaban to keep himself out. Trust me when I say that he's got no favor with them," I told them.

"How do you know that?" Harry asked.

"Mom and Dad told me about him. Ilvermorny teaches all about the other magical schools. We learn about their headmasters and headmistresses," I explained.

Relations with other wizarding schools were much better in the States. Perhaps because the other schools didn't feel threatened by us. Little did they know that we knew the most about all of them. "Do you think he was a Death Eater?" Hermione asked me curiously.

"No one doubts it. We all know he was. He just claims to be reformed," I said.

"People believe that?" Hermione asked disbelievingly.

"Voldemort had actually put some of his followers under the Imperious Curse," I said. Ron twitched at the name. "It meant that a lot of people who _had_ been loyal to him used it as an excuse for their behavior. Since there was no way to prove that it hadn't been used, the Ministry was forced to believe most of them. To be fair to him, he really did help put a lot of truly terrible witches and wizards behind bars. In the end, Karkaroff was just a coward. Much like another friend of ours."

The conversation in the cabin took a sharp dive. Just last year we had met one of Voldemort's followers who had been long believed to be dead. Peter Pettigrew was one of our parents best friends who had been believed to have been killed by Sirius Black - my godfather. As it had turned out, Pettigrew had been the true culprit behind our parents' betrayal and had framed Sirius. While Karkaroff was likely braver than Peter Pettigrew, they were both too cowardly to admit what they had done. I wiped my hands off on my pants, noticing that they had begun to sweat slightly.

 _You're not going to betray your friends. You love them. Stop being silly._ "I think I've heard of Durmstrang," Ron said vaguely. "Where is it? What country?"

"Well, nobody knows, do they?" Hermione said, raising her eyebrows.

"Er - why not?" Harry asked.

"There's traditionally been a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts so nobody can steal their secrets," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

I snorted under my breath. Another advantage of coming from the States, I knew a lot more about the other magical schools than anyone else. "Come off it," Ron told her, starting to laugh. "Durmstrang has got to be about the same size as Hogwarts - how are you going to hide a great big castle?"

"But Hogwarts is hidden," Hermione said, in surprise. "Everyone knows that... well, everyone who's read Hogwarts, A History, anyway."

"Just you, then," Ron said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Or, you know, if you ever listened in class," I told Ron.

"That's what I've got you two for," Ron replied, grinning. I rolled my eyes at him. He turned back to Hermione. "So go on - how do you hide a place like Hogwarts?"

"It's bewitched. If a Muggle looks at it, all they see is a moldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE," Hermione answered.

"So, Durmstrang will just look like a ruin to an outsider too?" Ron asked.

"Maybe, or it might have Muggle-repelling charms on it, like the World Cup stadium," Hermione said, shrugging. "And to keep foreign wizards from finding it, they'll have made it Unplottable -"

"Come again?" Ron interrupted.

"Well, you can enchant a building so it's impossible to plot on a map, can't you?" Hermione said.

"Er... if you say so," Harry said dumbly.

"A lot of forests in Burkina Faso are Unplottable," I put in.

"Where?" Ron asked.

"It's a small country in western Africa," I explained.

"Why are they Unplottable?" Harry asked.

"Because of Runespoors," I explained. Harry and Ron still looked completely lost. Hermione was nodding along. I figured that the boys needed a little extra explanation. "Since they're so easy to spot, the Burkina Faso Ministry of Magic had made several forests Unplottable for the Runespoor's use. Mostly to avoid being seen by Muggles."

"What's a Runespoor?" Ron asked.

Hadn't we gone over this in Second Year? "It's a three-headed snake," I explained. "You know that your brother loved magical creatures, right? Did you two never talk about them?" Ron shook his head. "Honestly, you'd think you two have never picked up a book in your lives."

Ron looked like he was about to talk again, but Hermione spoke over him. "But I think Durmstrang must be somewhere in the far north," she said thoughtfully. "Somewhere very cold, because they've got fur capes as part of their uniforms."

"They think it's in Scandinavia," I said suddenly.

All three of them turned to me. "How do you know that?" Ron asked disbelievingly.

"One of the professors at Ilvermorny had gone when they were younger and had a little bit of memory from being there. She told us that she looked on maps and ultimately figured out that it was in the far north of Europe. She thinks it was Scandinavia," I told them.

"What do you mean 'a little bit of memory?'" Hermione asked confusedly.

"Well, Durmstrang makes visitors comply with memory charms to erase their knowledge of how they got there," I explained.

"What?" Harry asked blankly.

"That's how secretive it is. Everyone who remembers a little bit talks about vast, sprawling grounds with many stunning views. Apparently, there's also this great, dark, spectral ship that's moored on a mountain lake behind the school. Kind of like the Black Lake at Hogwarts," I said. The others nodded slowly. I thought about letting it go, but I had always enjoyed showing Hermione that there were things she didn't know. "By the way, Beauxbatons is in France. Everyone knows that."

Hermione bristled slightly, just as I knew she would. Harry and Ron laughed. "Apparently not everyone," Harry muttered.

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked sharply.

 _And you're supposed to be the smart one..._ "Listen to the name, Hermione. It just sounds French," I explained.

Her face reddened at the simple explanation. "Ah, think of the possibilities. It would've been so easy to push Malfoy off a glacier and make it look like an accident... Shame his mother likes him..." Ron said dreamily.

There was a good chance that he hadn't been listening since we had mentioned that Durmstrang was in the far north of Europe. I laughed loudly as we all sank back into the seats. I leaned out the window and watched as the rolling hills flew past us. I wished that it would stop raining though. I had always liked watching the idyllic countryside. We played a few games of Exploding Snap throughout the ride until Hermione barked at us to be quiet. She was still trying to read her new books for the year. We had made it almost impossible to read back at the Burrow.

The rain became heavier and heavier as the train moved farther north. I frowned and eventually just gave up on trying to watch the countryside. It was far too dark to see anything. The sky was so dark and the windows so steamy that the lanterns were lit by midday. Hermione was reading The Prophet, Ron was flipping through a new school book and Harry was twiddling with his wand when the lunch trolley came rattling along the corridor. I placed down my book and raised from my seat. Harry and I agreed to buy a large stack of Cauldron Cakes for us all to share.

"Anything from the trolley? Anything from the trolley?" the trolley witch called from the corridor. The older woman appeared at our door, smiling in. "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

"Packet of drewbals and a licorice wand," Ron said.

He rose to his feet along with Harry and myself. I started digging through my pockets to find all of my change. I really should have put all of my Muggle money away before getting on the Hogwarts Express. The trolley witch grabbed the packet of drewbals and handed them over to Ron. He took it and started digging through his pockets. He came up with a single Sickle. It wasn't enough for both snacks. My stomach dropped at the sight of it. I exchanged a quick look with Harry. We came from very wealthy families who had more than enough to spend on candy.

"On second thought, just the drewbals," Ron said awkwardly.

"It's alright, I'll get it," Harry offered quickly.

"Just the drewbals, thanks," Ron muttered.

As the boys sorted their candies out, I turned back to Hermione. "Do you want anything else?" I asked her.

"Just the cauldron cake. Split one?" Hermione asked.

"Sure. One cauldron cake, please," I told the trolley witch.

She smiled and went through the cart for the cauldron cake. Harry was still leaning out of the compartment to see what he wanted. I glanced up long enough to see that Cho Chang was walking up from the other side of the train. I rolled my eyes. Cho Chang was - needless to say - one of my least favorite people on the planet. Somehow I had hoped that she might have ended up not returning to Hogwarts this year. Wishful thinking... In the meantime, the trolley witch had grabbed my cauldron cake.

"Here you are, dear."

"Thank you," I said, handing over a Sickle and grabbing the cake.

"Two pumpkin pasties, please," Cho told the trolley witch.

Cho was hanging over the trolley witch's shoulder, handing over the change. To be fair to Cho Chang, I had spoken less than ten words to her since meeting almost four years ago. It had taken just an accidentally ruined pair of shoes for us to hate each other. Of course, having me date her crush didn't help matters. As Harry reached for a cauldron cake, he met eyes with Cho. She gave him a brief smile before glancing down. Harry gave a stupid smile in return. Cho grabbed the cauldron cake from the trolley witch.

"Thank you," Cho told her.

She smiled at Harry before turning back with her friends. "Anything sweet for you dear?" the trolley witch asked Harry.

Harry looked stunned, obviously having forgotten that someone else was in the hallway. "Oh, no, thank you," he told the trolley witch, looking back at Cho. "I'm not hungry."

 _For food, at least._ "Awkward," I muttered.

There was an absolutely moronic smile on Harry's face. I smacked his shoulder to shove him back into the compartment. I had a feeling he would never have moved if I hadn't. I was about to walk back into the compartment when I spotted Cedric walking down the hall. I smiled at him, but it quickly fell. At the same moment, I realized that Cho had stopped walking. She was now turned back to Cedric, smiling just like I was. I stiffened slightly. I was literally just a few feet away from her. I scowled slightly but tried to straighten up as Cedric stood next to me.

"Knew I'd find you here," Cedric teased, motioning to the trolley.

"Damn. Am I getting predictable?" I whined.

"Trust me when I tell you that you'll never be predictable," Cedric said. I smiled at him. He turned slightly and noticed Cho standing there. He smiled at her. "Hey, Cho."

"Hi, Cedric," Cho said sweetly.

My teeth ground together slightly. "How was your summer?" Cedric asked her.

"It was good. We went to the Quidditch World Cup. Did you?" Cho asked him.

"Yeah, I went with my dad," Cedric answered.

"That's nice," Cho said.

"Anything from the trolley, dear?" the trolley witch asked Cedric.

I'd never been so thrilled to have her around. I could have kissed her for interrupting. "Yes, uh, can I get a Chocolate Frog and a pack of Sugar Quills?" Cedric asked, handing her the money.

"Here you are," she said, giving him the candy.

"Thank you," Cedric told her. He grabbed the candy and pocketed it. Before he put everything away, he took a Sugar Quill and slipped it from the packaging, handing it to me. I laughed. "Present for actually managing to make it into the train this year."

"Hey, I made it last year," I snapped.

We both laughed as Cedric turned to look between myself and Cho, seemingly finally noticing that neither one of us would meet the other's eyes. "Cho, you know Tara, right?" Cedric asked.

She smiled tersely. "We've met," Cho answered, turning to me begrudgingly. "Nox."

"Chang," I greeted.

We both smiled tersely at each other. The air suddenly felt almost too thick to breathe. The trolley witch gently pushed past us to move down the train. With that, Cho smiled at Cedric and waved before walking off, meeting back up with her friends. I wasn't stupid enough to miss the sharp glare that I received from her as she passed. Cedric hadn't been able to see. I rolled my eyes and turned back to see that Harry was still hanging out of the compartment, staring wistfully after Cho. My jaws set.

"Well... this has been sufficiently awkward. Thanks, guys," I said.

Harry turned a bright red and dashed back into the cabin, almost collapsing onto the bench. Cedric looked at him confusedly as I turned to the compartment. He caught my arm before I could walk in. "Hang on," Cedric told me.

I waited for a brief moment, in which Cedric didn't speak. "Was there a follow-up to that?" I asked awkwardly.

Cedric laughed quietly. "I didn't want anyone standing around to overhear," Cedric explained. My eyebrows raised. That didn't bode well. "Meet me in the Astronomy Tower tonight? There's something I want to talk to you about."

"That doesn't sound appealing," I half-teased.

Cedric smiled. "I'll be there. Won't that be appealing?"

"Fair, I suppose. Midnight?"

"Deal."

Wasn't I the one who used to get him to go to the Astronomy Tower? Now he was the one offering to go. "You know, I genuinely think that I might be rubbing off on you. Sneaking off in the middle of the night to the Astronomy Tower?" I said. Cedric smiled playfully. "Who are you and what have you done with Cedric Diggory?"

"You're a bad influence, Tara Nox," Cedric said.

The thought didn't sound quite finished. "But?" I asked.

"You're also kind of fun," Cedric finished.

We both laughed quietly. I was way more than just a little bit of fun or kind of fun. I liked to think that I was incredibly fun. Fun and dangerous. I thought that it was an interesting combination. I giggled again as Cedric grabbed my waist and pulled me in for a small kiss. We were pressed back against the corner of the hallway, but apparently, it wasn't far enough. There were lots of hoots and howls and catcalls from the students in the surrounding cabins and in the hall. Embarrassed, I laughed awkwardly and pulled away from him slightly.

As I opened my mouth to make some kind of joke, George appeared at my side. "Get a cabin."

"Mind your damn business," I snapped at him.

"I would if your business wasn't flopping around the hallway for the rest of us to enjoy," he replied.

 _Well, that was moderately rude_. I scowled at George and shoved him gently away from me. "I'm gonna tell your mother you're still working on Weasley Wizard Wheezes," I threatened him.

George paled slightly. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me," I said. George smacked me on the shoulder before making an about-face and strutting off. I chuckled and turned back to where Fred was standing, staring blankly into the distance. What was wrong with him? "You feeling alright?"

"Yeah," Fred said tonelessly.

"Missing an opportunity to mess with me?" I asked, smiling at him.

"There'll be more," Fred answered. I frowned, surprised at the abrasiveness of Fred's answer. Had I done something? Before I could think about it any longer, Fred's face turned up in a slight grin. "In the meantime..." Fred leaned down and snatched the Sugar Quill from my hand and whipped around, darting off. "Thank you!"

That was the only Sugar Quill that I had. The rest were tucked away in my bag. "You'll pay for that, Fred Weasley!" I shouted after him as he vanished down the hall. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Cedric, who had been watching us. "He's in an odd mood."

Cedric nodded blankly. "Girl troubles, I'd assume."

Girl troubles? He hadn't told me that there was a girl he was interested in. Not that I had told him about Cedric, granted, but I would have wanted to know if there was someone in his life. I had always counted Fred among my best friends. We were extremely close. I loved him to death. We seemed to always be doing things together and talking about just about anything. But our relationships were the one thing we didn't really talk about. He teased me over my relationship with Cedric but we never did talk about his relationships. Did he even have any?

He was a nice-looking guy but, as far as I knew, he'd never been out with anyone and hadn't had a crush. "Is he dating someone?" I asked Cedric curiously, slightly bothered by the thought.

Cedric glanced over at me and smiled, shaking his head. "That's not what I meant."

"I don't get it," I admitted.

Cedric smiled again. "Probably for the best."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? I thought about pushing it for a moment before deciding not to push the matter. Cedric never seemed very interested in talking about Fred. I could only assume that it was because something had happened between the two of them that neither one of them would own up to. One day I would get it out of them. I was determined. But the first day of the new semester probably wasn't a good time to be starting any fights. So, I settled on the other matter I wanted an answer about.

"So, was that thing that's happening at Hogwarts the Triwizard Tournament?" I asked.

Cedric grinned. "We'll talk about it tonight."

Useless back on the platform and useless right now. "What good are you as a boyfriend if you won't tell me things before other people do?" I whined.

Cedric laughed. "I certainly hope that's not all I'm good for."

"Depends whether or not you tell me what's going on," I said, grinning.

All I wanted was the answer to what was going on. Cedric smiled and leaned into me. For a moment I thought that he was going to tell me the truth. "I'm not telling you," Cedric said, bopping me on the nose. "Good try though."

"Oh, you suck," I groaned.

But Cedric was smiling proudly. "For once, I like being the one to know things before you do."

"You like that position of power, do you?"

"Concerning, isn't it?"

"Coming from you, a little bit. After all, you are a Hufflepuff," I teased, unable to resist a little good-natured House bias.

Cedric gasped quietly. "Hitting below the belt now, are we?"

"That's what you get for not telling me what's going on."

All I wanted was an answer! An answer wasn't that hard. But I knew that he was drawing it out because he thought that it was funny. At this point, I wouldn't know for a fact until Dumbledore told everyone else. Damn... I was about to argue with Cedric to tell me again when he laughed and pulled me in for another kiss. I immediately melted into it. We remained locked together for a little while before I finally backed away. It was only because there were people in the hall trying to squeeze through. I knew that this wasn't the best place for either one of us to be hanging out in.

"Midnight at the Astronomy Tower, then?" I asked Cedric, keeping my hands tucked into his pocket.

"It's a date," Cedric said.

I smiled. "See you at the feast."

We exchanged another quick peck before turning and heading back to our separate cabins. I knew that he had his Prefect meeting coming up soon that he had to go to anyway. As I turned back I was very pleased to see that we had stopped to kiss in front of Cho's cabin. She was sitting with some of her friends from Ravenclaw. They all looked quite displeased to see our act of intimacy. It was very hard for me to resist making a face at her as I passed and instead, being an adult about it and heading back to my own cabin.

It ended up taking me a long time to get back to the cabin. I was stopped by a number of my friends on the way back. Alicia, Katie, and Angelina - my fellow Chasers on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team - pulled me to the side to talk about the upcoming games this year. Angelina would now be the captain with Oliver having graduated. Lee Jordan had made us promise that we would still win without Oliver. Hannah Abbott, Ernie MacMillan, and Justin Finch-Fletchley stopped to ask about my summer. I even stopped to say a quick hello to Luna Lovegood, a sweet but odd girl who was in Ravenclaw and a year behind me.

I'd been gone almost half an hour by the time I finally wandered back to my own cabin. "Where were you?" Harry asked as I spread out next to Hermione.

"I have friends outside of the three of you, you know," I said.

"With Diggory," Ron huffed.

"Not just with him, I'll have you know," I snapped.

"They saw the kiss," Hermione explained, barely looking up from her book.

"Naturally," I groaned.

The others laughed as we went back to what we had been doing earlier. I glanced down at my book, but I didn't get long to read through it. Several of our friends looked in on us as the afternoon progressed, including Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, extremely forgetful boy who had been brought up by his formidable witch of a grandmother. Seamus was still wearing his Ireland rosette. Some of its magic seemed to be wearing off now; it was still squeaking 'Troy - Mullet - Moran!' but in a very feeble and exhausted sort of way.

Lavender Brown, Fay Dunbar, and Parvati Patil - my dorm mates in Gryffindor - came to visit about midday. Padma Patil (Parvati's twin sister who had been Sorted into Ravenclaw) was with them. They only hung around for about ten minutes before leaving. As much as I did like the girls, there was only so much talk about shopping I could take. They clearly didn't care about Quidditch that much, since they only listened to the conversation for about two minutes before taking off, promising that we would see them at the Welcoming Feast.

After half an hour or so, Hermione, growing tired of the endless Quidditch talk, buried herself once more in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, and started trying to learn a Summoning Charm. I rolled my eyes at her. We were going to have almost a full year of magical training in a matter of hours. Why did she always want to get such a head start? Much like the boys, I was completely engrossed in the Quidditch talk. Neville listened jealously to the others' conversation as we relived the World Cup match.

"Why didn't you go, Neville?" I asked him.

"Gran didn't want to go. Wouldn't buy tickets," Neville explained miserably.

"I still have my Omnioculars. I recorded some bits of the game. I'll show you sometime in the Common Room," I told him, feeling quite guilty about talking about the game in front of him.

"Thanks, Tara," Neville said, brightening up slightly. "Bet it was something in person. It sounded amazing."

"It was," Ron said. "Look at this, Neville..."

He rummaged in his trunk up in the luggage rack and pulled out the miniature figure of Viktor Krum. I grabbed my bag from the luggage rack and started going through it. I knew that my Omnioculars were in here somewhere. I really wanted Neville to feel a little more included. He was a Pureblood - and a part of the Sacred Twenty-Nine families at that - but he seemed to act like a Muggle-Born when he was home for the summer. I couldn't imagine how upset I would have been if my parents hadn't bought tickets for us to go to the World Cup.

"Oh wow," Neville said enviously as Ron tipped Krum onto his pudgy hand.

"We saw him right up close, as well," Ron said. "We were in the Top Box -"

"For the first and last time in your life, Weasley."

Draco Malfoy had appeared in the doorway. I groaned at him. I'd been so hoping that I wouldn't have to see him again. I'd hoped that his voice was all I would hear from him on the trip to Hogwarts. How could I have thought that? Idiot... He had likely been hanging around, waiting for something to use against Ron. Behind Malfoy stood Crabbe and Goyle, his enormous, thuggish cronies, both of whom appeared to have grown at least a foot during the summer. Evidently, they had overheard the conversation through the compartment door, which Dean and Seamus had left ajar.

"You don't have something better to do?" I snapped at them.

Malfoy grinned at me. "I'm right where I want to be."

"Funny. I'd much prefer you to be on the moon," I hissed.

"Don't remember asking you to join us, Malfoy," Harry said coolly.

Malfoy grinned at me and scowled at Harry before turning back to Ron. "Weasley... what is that?" Malfoy asked, pointing at Pigwidgeon's cage.

All of us looked over to see what was happening. I scowled as soon as I realized what he was looking at. It would be just another thing for Malfoy to tease Ron and the Weasley family about. A sleeve of Ron's used dress robes was dangling from Pigwidgeon's cage, swaying with the motion of the train, the moldy lace cuff very obvious. Naturally, Malfoy would manage to see that first. Ron made to stuff the robes out of sight, but Malfoy was too quick for him; he seized the sleeve and pulled them over to himself.

"Look at this!" Malfoy howled in ecstasy, holding up Ron's robes and showing Crabbe and Goyle, "Weasley, you weren't thinking of wearing these, were you? I mean - they were very fashionable in about eighteen ninety..."

"Eat dung, Malfoy!" Ron yelled.

His cheeks were turning the same color as the dress robes as he snatched them back out of Malfoy's grip. I gathered myself to my feet just long enough to shove Malfoy back out of the doorway. He was thrown back into Crabbe and Goyle, who only laughed even louder. I scowled at them again as Hermione wrapped a hand around my jeans and pulled me back into my seat. I hit the fabric with a slight grunt. Malfoy howled with derisive laughter at Ron's face; Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly.

"What are you? Four?" I sneered, seeing as Hermione's grip on me hadn't loosened. I couldn't get up and punch him. "Grow up!"

Malfoy grinned. "How about you, Nox? What'll you be wearing?"

"Your face on my foot, I hope," I growled.

Malfoy's pale eyes glittered deviously. "I'd hope for it to be somewhere else," he said sleazily.

"Ugh," I groaned. I rose to my feet again, yanking my clothes out of Hermione's grip, and shoved Malfoy roughly. "You're disgusting!"

"Yes, I am," Malfoy purred.

"Get out, Malfoy," Harry growled dangerously.

Malfoy completely ignored Harry and instead turned to Ron. "So… going to enter, Weasley? Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name? There's money involved as well, you know... you'd be able to afford some decent robes if you won..."

It was definitely the Triwizard Tournament if they were talking about prize money. "What are you talking about?" Ron snapped.

"Are you going to enter?" Malfoy repeated slowly. "I suppose you will, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off, do you?"

"How about you, Malfoy? Too cowardly?" I countered.

"I don't need the money," Malfoy said, shrugging.

"Or the glory, apparently," I said.

"Will you enter?" Malfoy asked me.

"Doubtful. With the many eventful years I've had in the past, I'll be more than happy to let someone else enjoy glory for a year," I answered.

Malfoy snorted. "Talk about cowardly when you wouldn't enter either."

"I said doubtful. Not definitely not," I hissed defensively.

There was no way that I was letting him call me cowardly. "Either explain what you're on about or go away, Malfoy," Hermione said testily, over the top of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4.

A gleeful smile spread across Malfoy's pale face. "Don't tell me you don't know?" Malfoy asked the others delightedly. None of them answered. He then turned back to me. "You haven't told them?"

"Figure it'll be more exciting as a surprise," I said carelessly.

Maybe I should have told them... Just so that Malfoy wouldn't get the satisfaction of knowing something that we didn't. "You've got a father and brother at the Ministry and you don't even know?" Malfoy asked Ron, who continued scowling at him. "My God, my father told me about it ages ago... heard it from Cornelius Fudge. But then, Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry. Maybe your father's too junior to know about it, Weasley... yes... they probably don't talk about important stuff in front of him."

"Or because they're afraid he'll summon Voldemort on them," I said.

Crabbe and Goyle looked shocked that I'd dared say his name. Ron twitched slightly. Malfoy's face fell. "Watch it, Nox," Malfoy warned.

"Or, what?" I asked.

"Pretty sure you don't want to know that answer," Malfoy said.

"Empty threat, more likely," I scoffed.

"We'll see," Malfoy said.

Even if something was happening with Voldemort, I highly doubted that Malfoy would have anything to do with it. He was just a bratty kid. There was no way his father would trust him with information like that. He hadn't even trusted him with the secret of Tom Riddle's diary. Laughing once more, Malfoy beckoned to Crabbe and Goyle, and the three of them disappeared. I rolled my eyes at them and kicked back into my seat. Ron got to his feet and slammed the sliding compartment door so hard behind them that the glass shattered.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled reproachfully.

"Good arm," I snorted.

"Tara, honestly," Hermione chided. I smiled at her. Hermione pulled out her wand, muttered " _Reparo_!" and the glass shards flew back into a single pane and back into the door.

"Well... making it look like he knows everything and we don't... 'Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry.' Dad could've got a promotion any time... he just likes it where he is..." Ron snarled.

"Of course he does," Hermione said quietly.

My stomach churned nervously. I leaned forward and pressed a hand against Ron's leg. "Your father doesn't need or want approval. He likes his independence and I appreciate that," I said brightly.

"Don't let Malfoy get to you, Ron -"

"Him! Get to me? As if!" Ron interrupted Harry, picking up one of the remaining Cauldron Cakes and squashing it into a pulp.

"Well don't abuse the Cauldron Cake over it..." I mumbled.

"Sorry, Tara," Ron said guiltily, handing me back the destroyed remnants of my Cauldron Cake.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," I said, shrugging him off.

"Going to finally tell us what he was talking about?" Harry asked me.

"No, that still hasn't changed anything," I said determinedly.

At this point, it was kind of fun hanging the fact that I knew something they didn't over their heads. Hermione didn't seem to care very much but I could tell that it was greatly bothering Harry that he didn't know and I did. He was used to me telling him everything. I smiled as Harry laughed and shoved me back against the window. Ron was scowling out of the window. I had a feeling that he wouldn't cheer up until we were at the Welcoming Feast and he could eat his weight in sweets.

During the last few hours of the ride to Hogwarts, I spent a lot of time thinking about the Triwizard Tournament. At this point, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that it would be the big secret at Hogwarts this year. It hadn't been held for over two hundred and fifty years. I didn't know why they were bringing it back after so many people had died in it. But I grinned at the thought of being crowned champion. But I'd have to face three dangerous tasks. But I could have eternal glory. I could just enter, too. Doubtful I would get picked. Maybe I would enter. Just so that Malfoy couldn't say anything.

My thoughts were broken when a large owl flew up to the window of the compartment. Hermione dropped the window and allowed the large owl in. Pigwidgeon looked thrilled to see the new visitor, who looked quite upset at the sight of Pigwidgeon. I smiled as the owl dropped a letter from Oliver Wood in my lap. It was all about his suggestions for the Gryffindor House Quidditch Team this year, along with wishing us good luck. I smiled and wrote him back a letter that promised to keep up Gryffindor's good name and wished him luck on the Puddlemere Reserve.

Ron's bad mood continued for the rest of the journey. He clearly wasn't in the mood to talk about Quidditch or pretty much anything that didn't involve creative ways to kill Malfoy. Ron didn't talk much as we changed into our school robes (Hermione and I won the advantage of getting to change in the cabin this year), and was still glowering when the Hogwarts Express slowed down at last and finally stopped in the pitch-darkness of Hogsmeade station. I smiled as I stood from my seat.

"Come on, Ron. Cheer up!" I chirped, throwing my arms over his shoulder. "We're finally home."

Ron barely managed to tilt his lips up in a slight smile. I grinned back at him. We would get there. As the train doors opened, there was a rumble of thunder overhead. The weather hadn't gotten any better even in Scotland. Hermione bundled up Crookshanks in her cloak and Ron left his dress robes over Pigwidgeon as we left the train, heads bent and eyes narrowed against the downpour. The rain was now coming down so thick and fast that it was as though buckets of ice-cold water were being emptied repeatedly over our heads.

These were the days I missed the warm summer nights in Florida. "Hi, Hagrid!" Harry yelled.

"Hey, Hagrid," I cheered, spotting the gigantic silhouette at the far end of the platform.

"All righ', Harry? Hello, Tara!" Hagrid bellowed back, waving. "See yeh at the feast if we don' drown!"

First Years traditionally reached Hogwarts Castle by sailing across the lake with Hagrid. In our First Year, the weather had been lovely. It had been a slightly chilly night but the wind had been completely still. It had been like sailing across glass. The weather this year would likely traumatize some of those kids. I felt particularly bad for the Muggle-Born's, who were traditionally the most confused on the trip to the castle. Hagrid and the gathering crowd of First Years were quickly lost in the whipping winds and rain.

"Oh, I wouldn't fancy crossing the lake in this weather," Hermione said fervently, shivering as we inched slowly along the dark platform with the rest of the crowd.

"Where's your sense of adventure, Hermione?" I teased, throwing my arm over her shoulder.

She snorted under her breath and shoved me off of her. A hundred horseless carriages stood waiting for us outside the station. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and I climbed gratefully into one of them and the door shut with a snap. I glanced out of the window and sent a quick wink to Cedric, who was clambering onto one a few back from us. He grinned back at me. A few moments later, with a great lurch, the long procession of carriages was rumbling and splashing its way up the track toward Hogwarts Castle.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _During the Start-of-Term Feast, Tara discovers that Hogwarts will be host to the Triwizard Tournament and immediately throws her support to Cedric._ For some reason, this chapter just didn't want to come to me. So, I'm sorry about the wait and hopefully it lives up to your usual standards! Thanks so much for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Ghostie1701: Thank you! Tara's just lucky that way! Sometimes she gets soot and ash all over her. Sometimes she doesn't. I always found it funny that sometimes the characters seem to get filthy after traveling by Floo and sometimes it's not mentioned. I know! The talks about Cedric's future can be so sad to read. If I do choose to kill him, they'll always just be theory. Tara does like the way her parents worked out! I'd say that Tara and Draco definitely hate each other a lot more than Tara's parents did, but there are similarities. That's an interesting idea. I hadn't planned on doing any one-shots from other perspectives, but I'll think about it. Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this one!**

 **pottersimpala67: I'm so glad that you liked the tidbit about Julia originally hating Marcus. It definitely bares some similarities to Tara's relationship to Draco. I'm so glad that you like the parallels I draw between the Marauder generation and the Golden Quartet! Enjoy classes once you've started them! Thanks for reading! Hope you liked this one!**

 **Vincent FGS91: They are officially back to school and I'm so excited for it! I'll definitely take you up on the language skills in the coming chapters. Hope you liked this one!**


	12. The Triwizard Tournament

Through the gates, flanked with statues of winged boars, and up the sweeping drive, the carriages trundled, swaying dangerously in what was fast becoming a gale. Another gust seemed sure to blow the carriages right into the Black Lake. Leaning against the window, I could see Hogwarts coming nearer, its many lighted windows blurred and shimmering behind the thick curtain of rain. I smiled up at the sight of it. It was as my parents had once told me, the sight of Hogwarts for the first time in a new year would never get old.

Lightning flashed across the sky as our carriage came to a halt before the great oak front doors, which stood at the top of a flight of stone steps. People who had occupied the carriages in front were already hurrying up the stone steps into the castle. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and I jumped down from our carriage and dashed up the steps too, looking up only when we were safely inside the cavernous, torch-lit entrance hall, with its magnificent marble staircase. I was the first one inside. Harry and Ron were right behind me with Hermione and Neville trailing behind them.

"Blimey, if that keeps up the lake's going to overflow," Ron groaned, shaking his head and sending water everywhere. "I'm soak - ARRGH!"

A large, red, water-filled balloon had dropped from out of the ceiling onto Ron's head and exploded. Drenched and sputtering, Ron staggered sideways into Harry, just as a second water bomb dropped - narrowly missing Hermione, it burst at my feet, sending a wave of cold water over my sneakers into my socks. I yelped in disgust and discomfort as I staggered back. People all around us shrieked and started pushing one another in their efforts to get out of the line of fire. I shoved Ron off to the side to stand in between Hermione and Harry.

Random water balloons dropping from the sky was an odd way to start the year. Even at Hogwarts. I looked up and saw, floating twenty feet above us, Peeves the Poltergeist, a little man in a bell-covered hat and orange bow tie, his wide, malicious face contorted with concentration as he took aim again. I groaned as I side-stepped from the path his next water balloon was set to follow. Peeves was notorious for harassing the student body of Hogwarts with his somewhat cruel and somewhat funny pranks.

"Correction: Now you're soaking," I told Ron.

"Shut up, Tara," Ron groaned, trying to keep from slipping on the stone floor.

As much as I hated Peeves most of the time, even I had to admit that he was rather clever with some of his jokes. "Come on. That's kind of funny," I said, trying to stifle my laughter.

"Tara, honestly, he's a menace," Hermione chided.

Wasn't that kind of the point of a poltergeist? "You're telling me that you wouldn't have laughed if it was Malfoy?" I asked her. Hermione remained silent. "That's what I thought."

"Still... what did we ever do to him?" Hermione asked.

Poltergeists weren't like ghosts. They had never been humans. They had only ever known their half-alive status. "Nothing. He's a poltergeist. He just likes to cause mayhem. That's literally the only reason he exists," I pointed out.

"PEEVES! Peeves, come down here at once!" an angry voice yelled.

"Oh, he's in for it now," I hummed.

Coming down the stairs was perhaps one of the worst people to get caught doing something against the rules by. Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House, had come dashing out of the Great Hall. I assumed that she must have heard all of the racket that Peeves and the rest of us were causing. She skidded on the wet floor and grabbed Hermione around the neck to stop herself from falling. I stepped back as Professor McGonagall attempted to straighten up.

"Ouch - sorry, Miss Granger -"

"That's all right, Professor!" Hermione gasped, massaging her throat.

"You all right?" I asked Hermione, grabbing her arm and pulling her over to us.

"Fine," Hermione groaned, still looking to be in a bit of pain.

"Peeves, get down here now!" Professor McGonagall barked, straightening her pointed hat and glaring upward through her square-rimmed spectacles.

"Not doing nothing!" Peeves cackled, lobbing a water bomb at several Fifth-Year girls, who screamed and dived into the Great Hall. "Already wet, aren't they? Little squirts! Wheeeeeeeeee!"

My eyes rolled so far into the back of my head that I was sure they would get stuck there. The one thing I hadn't missed about Hogwarts was Peeves. He was a complete menace, hell-bent on ruining the days of innocent students. Peeves blew another raspberry at Professor McGonagall before aiming another bomb at a group of Second Years who had just arrived. They shrieked and ran off. A hand suddenly fell on my shoulder and I practically jumped out of my skin. When I turned back, I saw that it was Cedric, who had finally caught up with the rest of the students.

He was gazing up at Peeves, who had moved onto making obscene gestures at Professor McGonagall. "Quite the little monster, isn't he?" Cedric asked me, folding his arms over his chest.

"Yet you people somehow think I'm the poorly-behaved one," I huffed.

"This doesn't change the fact that you're still badly-behaved," Cedric teased.

Well... my poor behavior in school would likely never change. "You like it," I half-sang, nudging his shoulder.

"Yes, I do," Cedric admitted. We exchanged a quick grin but Cedric's attention quickly turned back toward the ceiling. "Duck!"

Well-aware that he was paying much more attention than I was, I let Cedric grab my arm and yank me into him. I had barely managed to throw myself underneath another one of Peeves' water bombs. I narrowed my gaze at him as he began cackling maniacally again. I turned back just long enough to see that a Second Year Slytherin hadn't been quite as lucky as I had been. I suppressed a laugh as I looked at Peeves again, who was now making rather rude gestures at Professor McGonagall, who was still trying to get him to stop.

"Knock it off, asshole!" I yelled at the poltergeist.

"Language, Nox," Professor McGonagall chided, although she looked as though she could have called him that and much worse.

"Sorry, Professor," I mumbled.

"Oh, potty mouth, Foxy Noxy!" Peeves cackled.

It had always been Peeves' favorite nickname for me. That and a few other, much ruder, ones. "I hate that nickname," I growled.

"Yeah? I kind of like it," Cedric teased.

"Shut up," I snapped.

"I shall call the headmaster!" Professor McGonagall shouted. "I'm warning you, Peeves -"

Peeves stuck out his tongue, threw the last of his water bombs into the air, and zoomed off up the marble staircase, cackling insanely. I could have sworn that I heard a few other curses get thrown back at us before he took off. I rolled my eyes as the rest of the students threw themselves out of the way of the falling water balloons. As they all splashed to the ground, soaking our feet even more, I turned back in hopes that Malfoy had managed to take a water balloon to the face. No such luck. It appeared that his cronies had managed to save him.

Disappointed that Peeves hadn't hit Malfoy, I turned back to Cedric. "Such a sweetheart," I said, wiping some sprayed water off of my clothes.

"A real charmer," Cedric added, brushing the damp hair off of his forehead.

"Well, move along, then!" Professor McGonagall called sharply to the bedraggled crowd. "Into the Great Hall, come on!"

"See you after the feast," Cedric said.

I smiled, giving his hand a quick squeeze. "Bye," I said.

In the background, I could feel the eye-rolls that I was receiving from my friends. Unfortunately, I didn't have long to yell at them to leave me alone. Next came the problem of getting into the Great Hall. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I slipped and slid across the entrance hall and through the double doors on the right. Everyone was having a tough time keeping themselves on their feet as they entered the Great Hall, considering that Peeves had managed to soak all of the stone floors. Ron was muttering furiously under his breath as he pushed his sopping hair off his face.

"Just dry yourself off, you fool," I snapped, sick of listening to him.

"How, genius?" Ron hissed.

Maybe if he ever read a book, he would have known this one. I whipped out my wand and gave it a complicated little wave. As soon as I had, hot air streamed out of the tip. Ron looked more than a little pleased at the feeling. I pointed the wand from the tip of his head to the bottom of his robes and onto our shoes, which I hated being wet. Our clothes began to steam slightly as they dried out. Ron looked extremely grateful as I slid my wand back into my robes. Hermione looked shocked. I assumed that it was because it was a wordless spell.

"What was that?" Ron asked gratefully.

"The Hot-Air Charm," I said.

"Since when did we learn that?" Ron asked, baffled.

"Since never, Ronald," I sighed. Were they just never planning on learning a new spell once they left Hogwarts? "Mom taught me when we lived back in Florida since I was always traipsing back through the house drenched in water after coming back from the beach."

"Teach me, why don't you?" Ron said.

Having me teach Ron a spell... That was one surefire way to end our friendship. "You won't listen," I said.

Ron looked quite offended, but Hermione spoke before he could. "Is that wordless?"

"As far as I know. I'm sure there's an actual incantation for it, but Mom never taught it to me," I told her. "I've always just used the wand movements."

"Hmm... I'll have to learn that one," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I didn't know that you knew wandless spells."

"Just a few. They're tough," I admitted. In fact, there were only three spells that I could regularly do without using the incantation. We would get better as we got older. "We're going to start learning them next year, I think."

"Something to study over the summer," Hermione said brightly.

Which, naturally, meant that I was going to get dragged into it. "Joy..." I muttered.

Hermione was already ignoring me, likely already making up study charts as we walked. The Great Hall looked its usual splendid self, decorated for the start-of-term feast. I sighed happily at the sight. Golden plates and goblets gleamed by the light of hundreds and hundreds of candles, floating over the tables in midair. The four long House tables were packed with chattering students; at the top of the Hall, the staff sat along one side of a fifth table, facing their pupils. It was much warmer in here.

As we fully entered the Great Hall, I glanced around at the other tables. Most of the older students were already seated. At the Hufflepuff table, I gave a quick smile to Cedric. He was sitting with his friends all surrounding him, as usual. They all laughed as my cheeks burned brilliantly. Our relationship would never not be funny to them. At the Ravenclaw table, Cho Chang was scowling at me, as usual. I scowled as we passed Malfoy at the Slytherin table, who was giving me a glittery smile that I would have loved to smack off his stupid face.

There was no doubt in my mind that he knew that he had gotten to me earlier. Trying to ignore him, I walked firmly past the Slytherin's, the Ravenclaw's, and the Hufflepuff's, and sat down with the rest of the Gryffindor's at the far side of the Hall, next to Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. Pearly white and semitransparent, Nick was dressed tonight in his usual doublet, but with a particularly large ruff, which served the dual purpose of looking extra-festive, and ensuring that his head didn't wobble too much on his partially severed neck.

Harry took the spot next to me as Hermione and Ron took the two on the opposite side of the table. "Hi, Nick," I greeted, smiling at the ghost.

"Good evening," Nick said, beaming at us.

"Says who?" Harry asked bitterly, taking off his sneakers and emptying them of water. I rolled my eyes and snatched his shoes, drying them as I had done with mine earlier. "Thanks. Hope they hurry up with the Sorting. I'm starving."

"Maybe if you'd bought some candy in the train instead of pined after a girl who barely knows you exist..." I muttered.

"Oh, shut up. I just wasn't hungry," Harry snapped.

"Not for food, at least," I said quietly.

"Tara!" Hermione gasped.

"What?" I asked.

"Honestly..." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

Right... I always forgot that Americans tended to be a lot blunter about things. "I'm still partially an American, Hermione. I'm going to say things like that. Get used to it," I told her.

Hermione rolled her eyes at me as we all turned back to the four-legged stool sitting in the center of the front section of the Great Gall. The Sorting of the new students into Houses took place at the start of every school year, but by an unlucky combination of circumstances, I hadn't been present at one since my own. In Second Year, we'd flown by car and missed it after crashing into the Whomping Willow. Last year I'd been intercepted by Professor McGonagall to give me the Time-Turner. I was quite looking forward to it this year. Just then, a highly excited, breathless voice called down the table.

"Hiya, Harry!"

All of the heads on our side of the table jerked up. I glanced up and smiled almost immediately. It was Colin Creevey, a Third Year to whom Harry was something of a hero. He was very sweet but a little neurotic. He talked so much that it was usually extremely hard to follow him. I hadn't seen him much last year, for which I was extremely grateful. Colin was sweet but he was a little overwhelming.

"Hi, Colin," Harry said warily.

Colin was about to respond to him before seemingly noticing me. "Oh, h-hi, Tara," Colin stammered.

"Hi, Colin," I answered.

While Harry might have been a hero to Colin, Colin had had a crush on me since he had first started Hogwarts two years ago. I wasn't exactly sure why. But everyone knew it thanks to Gilderoy Lockhart's loud mouth. I had always tried to just ignore the crush since I knew how embarrassed he was about it. Over at the Hufflepuff table, I could hear Cedric laughing. I rolled my eyes at him, pressing my head into my hands. He, like so many others, had always thought that Colin's crush on me was rather funny.

"Are you still with Cedric Diggory?" Colin asked rather boldly.

It was the first time that I'd ever heard him speak to me without stuttering. "Yeah," I answered.

"And he'll flatten you if he sees you flirting with his girlfriend," Ron muttered under his breath.

"Shut up!" I snapped, kicking Ron under the table. He grunted in pain. "He thinks Colin's crush is funny, actually."

While I had been snapping at Ron, Colin had gone back to Harry. "Harry, guess what? Guess what, Harry? My brother's starting! My brother Dennis!"

"Er - good," Harry said awkwardly.

"That's nice for him," I told Colin, who smiled at me. "Is he ready?"

"He's really excited!" Colin told me, practically bouncing up and down in his seat. One of these days I was sure that Colin would give himself a heart attack. "I just hope he's in Gryffindor! Keep your fingers crossed, eh, Harry?"

"Er - yeah, all right," Harry said.

"Will you, Tara?" Colin asked.

"Yeah, of course," I said. "He'll probably be in Gryffindor."

It wasn't as likely that Dennis would be in Gryffindor since there was no real family history there. One of the only reasons that I had been in Gryffindor was because my entire family had been before me. But I didn't want to tell Colin that. I should have at least let him have some hope. Colin then turned back to Hermione, Ron, and Nearly Headless Nick. Harry looked like he was planning on smashing his head into the table. He had always been extremely embarrassed by his conversations with Colin.

"Brothers and sisters usually go in the same Houses, don't they?" Colin asked the others.

From the direction he was looking, I could only assume that he was judging by the Weasley's, all seven of whom had been put into Gryffindor. As had their parents when they were in school. Much like my own family. My parents had both been in Gryffindor, just like where I had been placed. The same had happened to Harry's family. So had Malfoy's family, just with Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. But it wasn't always the truth. Sirius had been the first Gryffindor in a long line of Slytherin's.

"Oh no, not necessarily. Parvati Patil's twin's in Ravenclaw, and they're identical," Hermione said. It had come as a shock to everyone, including the twins, that they hadn't been placed together. "You'd think they'd be together, wouldn't you?"

"But they're so different from each other," I told her. Lowering my voice, I leaned into the three of them slightly. "Plus, Sirius was the only Gryffindor in a long line of Slytherin's. It's more common to be placed in the same House as family members, but not a sure deal."

After all, hadn't I almost gotten Sorted into Slytherin? Just as Harry had. I swallowed nervously and looked somewhere else to try and distract myself. I looked up at the staff table at the end of the Great Hall. There seemed to be rather more empty seats there than usual. Hagrid, of course, was still fighting his way across the lake with the First Years; Professor McGonagall was presumably supervising the drying of the entrance hall floor, but there was another empty chair too, and I spent a few minutes trying to think who else was missing.

"Where's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Hermione asked, who was also looking up at the teachers.

That was the person who was missing. I arched an eyebrow curiously. Where _was_ our new teacher? I was halfway curious to make a bet on how long it would take this one before they attempted to kill me. We had never yet had a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who had lasted more than three terms. We had also never had one - accidental or not - that hadn't attempted to kill us. My favorite by far had been Professor Lupin, who had resigned last year. I looked up and down the staff table. There was definitely no new face there.

"Maybe they couldn't get anyone!" Hermione gasped, looking anxious.

Not a chance in hell. They would have rather canceled school than let us come without getting a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Maybe I was just missing them. I scanned the table more carefully. Tiny little Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was sitting on a large pile of cushions beside Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher, whose hat was askew over her flyaway gray hair. She was talking to Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department. I had always liked Professor Sinistra. She was tough but genuinely cared for her students.

On Professor Sinistra's other side was the sallow-faced, hook-nosed, greasy-haired Potions master, Professor Snape - my least favorite person at Hogwarts. My loathing of Snape was matched only by Snape's hatred of me, a hatred which had, if possible, intensified last year, when I had helped Sirius escape right under Snape's overlarge nose - Snape and Sirius had been enemies since their own school days. My hatred of Snape could only be surpassed by Harry's. Our parents had been best friends and had all hated Snape, a hatred which had been returned ten-fold.

It certainly made sense that we were two of Snape's least favorite students. On Snape's other side was an empty seat, which I guessed was Professor McGonagall's. Next to it, and in the very center of the table, sat Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, his sweeping silver hair and beard shining in the candlelight, his magnificent deep green robes embroidered with many stars and moons. The tips of Dumbledore's long, thin fingers were together and he was resting his chin upon them, staring up at the ceiling through his half-moon spectacles as though lost in thought.

It was perhaps one of the few times I had ever seen him look even moderately serious. I wondered if he was getting ready to make the announcement for what I assumed was going to be the Triwizard Tournament. I glanced up at the ceiling too. It was enchanted to look like the sky outside, and I had never seen it look this stormy. Black and purple clouds were swirling across it, and as another thunderclap sounded outside, a fork of lightning flashed across it. I glanced back down at the table.

"No way, they found someone," I finally told Hermione.

"Who do you think?" Hermione asked.

Hopefully, someone who wasn't planning on trying to kill me. At this point, I was sick of all of our professors attempting to kill me. Even Professor Lupin - whose attach had been completely accidental. That was wishful thinking, though. I knew that it would be someone dangerous. Strangely enough, I was shot back to our conversation at the Burrow. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Diggory were talking about Mad-Eye Moody's new job. There was no way that they would hire him. Right? He was a little dangerous, even for Dumbledore. But he had hired Voldemort... Accidentally, of course.

"Oh my..." I breathed out. I looked up at the others. "Do you remember that conversation back at the Burrow when your parents said that Mad-Eye Moody was taking up a new position? The man hasn't worked in years, until now."

"There's no way they'd let a man like that teach in a school," Hermione said.

"Yeah?" I asked her sharply.

"Lockhart," Ron growled.

Hermione flushed slightly. "Let's go through the list. We had Quirrell, who turned out to have Voldemort buried in the back of his head. He tried to murder us. Then there was Lockhart, who had a creepy crush on my mother and tried to erase our memories. Then there was Professor Lupin, who, granted, couldn't control himself, but still tried to kill us," I pointed out. Hermione merely stared at me. "And you think that they won't hire a madman who actually was quite brilliant in his own time?"

"She makes a fair point," Ron said quietly.

"Should make for an interesting year," Hermione breathed.

"When aren't they?" I asked, laughing humorlessly.

"Oh hurry up, I could eat a Hippogriff," Ron moaned.

The words were no sooner out of his mouth than the doors of the Great Hall opened and silence fell. Professor McGonagall was leading a long line of First Years up to the top of the Hall. I smiled at them. I'd always wanted to see a Sorting in which I wasn't terrified that I would fall on my way up to the stool. If Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I were wet, it was nothing to how these First Years looked. They appeared to have swum across the lake rather than sailed. I put a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing in the silence.

"Poor kids," I said, still giggling.

All of the new students were shivering with a combination of cold and nerves as they filed along the staff table and came to a halt in a line facing the rest of the school. I felt terribly for them. This was definitely not the best way to start off a new year at a new school - for some of them, their first exposure to the magical world. All of the new students looked terrified, except the smallest of the lot, a boy with mousy hair, who was wrapped in what I recognized as Hagrid's moleskin overcoat. The coat was so big for him that it looked as though he were draped in a furry black circus tent.

What the hell had happened to that poor kid? It looked like he had just gone swimming in the Black Lake. His small face protruded from over the collar, looking almost painfully excited. When he had lined up with his terrified-looking peers, he caught Colin Creevey's eye, gave a double thumbs-up, and mouthed, I fell in the lake! He looked positively delighted about it. It was definitely Dennis Creevey. He looked very much like his brother had when I'd first met him two years ago. Hopefully, he had a different taste in girls than his older brother did.

"We should tell him about the Grindylows," I whispered to Harry, who laughed.

"Don't you dare!" Hermione snapped.

"He'd probably ask them for their autograph," Harry whispered back.

We all laughed quietly, except for Hermione, who looked very annoyed that we were talking through the beginning of the Sorting. Professor McGonagall now placed a three-legged stool on the ground before the First Years and, on top of it, an extremely old, dirty patched wizard's hat. It was the Sorting Hat. The First Years stared at it. So did everyone else. For a moment, there was silence. Then a long tear near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat broke into song:

 _"A thousand years or more ago,  
When I was newly sewn,  
There lived four wizards of renown,  
Whose names are still well known:_

 _"Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,  
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,  
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,  
Shrewd Slytherin, from fin._

 _"They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,  
They hatched a daring plan  
To educate young sorcerers  
Thus Hogwarts School began._

 _"Now each of these four founders  
Formed their own house, for each  
Did value different virtues  
In the ones they had to teach._

 _"By Gryffindor, the bravest were  
Prized far beyond the rest;  
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest  
Would always be the best;  
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were  
Most worthy of admission;  
And power-hungry Slytherin  
Loved those of great ambition._

 _"While still alive they did divide  
Their favorites from the throng,  
Yet how to pick the worthy ones  
When they were dead and gone?_

 _"'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,  
He whipped me off his head  
The founders put some brains in me  
So I could choose instead!_

 _"Now slip me snug about your ears,  
I've never yet been wrong,  
I'll have a look inside your mind  
And tell where you belong!"_

The Great Hall rang with applause as the Sorting Hat finished. As much as the Sorting Hat did annoy me (as it had once said that I had a great darkness in myself and belonged in Slytherin) I did enjoy listening to its songs. It was a lot more interesting than just standing in the middle of a Gordian Knot on the floor as we did in Ilvermorny. Their Sorting wasn't nearly as interesting. I did arch a brow as I stared at the Sorting Hat. That song didn't sound familiar. Was that the one it had sung three years ago?

"That's not the song it sang when it Sorted us," Harry said, clapping along with everyone else.

So, I wasn't going crazy. "Sings a different one every year," Ron explained. I raised a brow, surprised that there was finally something that he knew that I didn't. "It's got to be a pretty boring life, hasn't it, being a hat? I suppose it spends all year making up the next one."

"Well, I'll give it five stars," I said, smiling.

My gaze traveled around the room. I saw Cedric sitting at the Hufflepuff table, chatting to one of his friends. Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, and Justin Finch-Fletchley were all surrounding him, also involved in the conversation. For just the briefest moment, I was extremely jealous of them. For the first time since arriving at Hogwarts, I vaguely wished that I was sitting at the Hufflepuff table. I shook my head and looked back up to the front of the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall was now unrolling a large scroll of parchment.

"When I call out your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool. When the hat announces your House, you will go and sit at the appropriate table," Professor McGonagall explained to the First Years. "Ackerley, Stewart!"

A boy walked forward, visibly trembling from head to foot. I frowned at him. He looked extremely embarrassed. That was about as afraid as everyone was the first time they walked up. The only person I had ever seen look vaguely confident when they had walked up was Malfoy - seeing as he had known that he would be placed in Slytherin. Professor McGonagall picked up the Sorting Hat, put it on his head, and he sat down on the stool. Even from here I could see the sweat beading on his forehead.

"RAVENCLAW!" the Sorting Hat shouted.

Stewart Ackerley took off the hat and hurried into a seat at the Ravenclaw table, where everyone was applauding him. I rolled my eyes, only joining in on the cheering when Hermione nudged me. I looked over and noticed Harry catch a glimpse of Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker, cheering Stewart Ackerley as he sat down. I rolled my eyes at him. He looked like I had when I'd still had a crush on Cedric before we had started dating. From the look on Harry's face, I had a feeling that, for a fleeting second, he had a strange desire to join the Ravenclaw table too.

"Make it a little more obvious, why don't you?" I snapped at him.

Harry shook his head, looking over at me. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Nothing..." I muttered irritably.

"Baddock, Malcolm!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

Malcolm Baddock was a dark-haired young boy who looked the slightest bit like Sirius. The table on the other side of the hall erupted with cheers; I could see Malfoy clapping as Baddock joined the Slytherin's. Was he planning on trying to make another kid into one of his cronies? I wondered whether Malcolm Baddock knew that Slytherin House had turned out more Dark witches and wizards than any other. On my other side, Fred and George were hissing at Malcolm Baddock as he sat down.

"Would you two stop? He could be perfectly nice," I told them.

"Dear, sweet, Tara," George said, leaning over and ruffling my hair.

"So clueless," Fred added.

"Hah-hah," I snapped, throwing them off of me.

"Branstone, Eleanor!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Cauldwell, Owen!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Creevey, Dennis!"

Tiny Dennis Creevey staggered forward, tripping over Hagrid's moleskin, just as Hagrid himself sidled into the Hall through a door behind the teachers' table. About twice as tall as a normal man, and at least three times as broad, Hagrid, with his long, wild, tangled black hair and beard, looked slightly alarming - a misleading impression, for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I knew Hagrid to possess a very kind nature. He winked at us as he sat down at the end of the staff table and watched Dennis Creevey putting on the Sorting Hat. The rip at the brim opened wide.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat shouted immediately.

At least he would get to be in the same House as his brother. I smiled at him. Hagrid clapped along with the Gryffindor's as Dennis Creevey, beaming widely, took off the Sorting Hat, placed it back on the stool, and hurried over to join his brother. He looked like he was about to stumble face-first onto the ground as he sprinted up the aisle. I laughed at the look on his face. He was more excited than even Collin had been when he'd first arrived in Hogwarts - which was not something easy to beat.

"Colin, I fell in!" Dennis said shrilly, throwing himself into an empty seat. "It was brilliant! And something in the water grabbed me and pushed me back in the boat!"

"Cool! It was probably the giant squid, Dennis!" Colin said, just as excitedly.

"Wow!" Dennis said, as though nobody in their wildest dreams could hope for more than being thrown into a storm-tossed, fathoms-deep lake, and pushed out of it again by a giant sea monster.

It took me a moment to shake myself free from my stupor at the sight of the Creevey brothers. "Congratulations, Dennis. Welcome to Hogwarts," I told him from across the table.

"Thanks!" Dennis said excitedly, beaming at me. It looked like he wasn't going to have the same crush on me that his brother did. I sighed in relief. "What's your name?"

"I'm Tara Nox," I said.

Dennis's eyes lit up. "Oh, Colin's talked about you!"

"N - No!" Colin shouted, looking as though he could have killed his brother. I smiled into my empty plate. "No, I haven't. I mean, I've talked about everyone and I keep telling my family about Hogwarts and -"

"You'll love it here, Dennis," I said, over the top of Colin's stuttering. I just wanted to spare him the embarrassment of trying to explain that he hadn't talked about me to his parents, which was kind of awkward, considering the fact that I had never talked about Colin to anyone back home. "Hogwarts becomes a home for just about everyone who goes here."

"Awesome," Dennis said, beaming.

Thankfully, as I had been talking to Dennis, Colin had remembered himself. "Dennis! Dennis! See that boy down there? The one with the black hair and glasses? See him? Know who he is, Dennis?"

He was pointing to Harry. "You had to have seen that one coming," I whispered to him.

"That'll never get easier," Harry said, rolling her eyes.

Colin was still pointing out Harry to Dennis. Harry looked away, staring very hard at the Sorting Hat, now Sorting Emma Dobbs. I turned back toward the head table, watching as the students continued to move to their new tables. The Sorting continued; boys and girls with varying degrees of fright on their faces moving one by one to the three-legged stool, the line dwindling slowly as Professor McGonagall passed the L's. Very few of the students looked as comfortable as Malfoy had during the Sorting in our First Year.

"Oh hurry up," Ron moaned, massaging his stomach.

"You just ate, you fool," I told him.

"On the train," Ron argued.

"It was just a couple of hours ago!" I snapped.

"A couple of hours ago was a couple of hours ago!" Ron yelled.

"What a stunning revelation, Ron. Thank you," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Now, Ron, the Sorting is much more important than food," Nearly Headless Nick said as 'Madley, Laura!' became a Hufflepuff.

"Course it is, if you're dead," Ron snapped.

"Merlin, Ron... Relax," I muttered.

He'd never had a great attitude once he got hungry. "I do hope this year's batch of Gryffindor's are up to scratch," Nearly Headless Nick said, applauding as 'McDonald, Natalie!' joined the Gryffindor table. "We don't want to break our winning streak, do we?"

Gryffindor had won the Inter-House Championship for the last three years in a row. Our First Year, we had only won because Dumbledore had given us a ton of extra points after we'd saved the Sorcerer's Stone from Quirrell and Voldemort. In our Second Year, we had managed to win after earning points from Dumbledore because we had saved the school from the Basilisk and Voldemort. Last year our winning streak at Quidditch had contributed to our win. So, mostly breaking the rules had allowed us to win. And Dumbledore's minor bias to Gryffindor.

"Don't worry, Nick. We've got two of the best Quidditch players in a century to help out," I told Nick. He grinned as I smiled proudly at myself and Harry. Fred and George cleared their throats impatiently on the other end of the table. "Four. Excuse me."

"Much better," Fred said. I smiled at them.

"Pritchard, Graham!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Quirke, Orla!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

And finally, with 'Whitby, Kevin!' ('HUFFLEPUFF!'), the Sorting ended. I smiled, looking down at the plates. By now, I was actually starting to get hungry. Not that I would admit that to Ron, who had been growling about his stomach for the past ten minutes as the Sorting went on and on. I had a feeling that he would have just as soon pointed at random students and Sorted them that way. Professor McGonagall picked up the Sorting Hat and the stool and carried them both away.

"About time," Ron said, seizing his knife and fork and looking expectantly at his golden plate.

"Wouldn't it be funny if Dumbledore picked now for a huge speech?" I said, snorting into my empty goblet.

"You're a horrible person," Ron growled.

"Yeah," I agreed.

That was what he got for not eating the sandwiches his mother had provided. They weren't always the best things in the world but he should have known that he would be starving by the middle of the evening. As Professor McGonagall walked off, Professor Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. I grinned at him. _Come on, Dumbledore. Make a huge speech_. Ron groaned in annoyance. He looked like he was about to collapse backward out of the bench seat. Dumbledore was smiling around at the students, his arms opened wide in welcome.

"I have only two words to say to you," Dumbledore told us, his deep voice echoing around the Hall. I groaned in annoyance. That wasn't a big speech. "Tuck in."

"Oh, come on. That wasn't long enough..." I moaned.

"Hear, hear!" Harry and Ron said loudly as the empty dishes filled magically before their eyes.

Everyone on our end of the table laughed. I grinned happily as Pumpkin Juice filled my goblet and chicken legs appeared on my plate. While dinner might have been marvelous, I was really looking forward to dessert. Nothing ever beat dessert at Hogwarts. Chocolate cakes and pies and crepes that went beyond where the eye could see. My mouth watered at the anticipation. Nearly Headless Nick was watching mournfully as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I loaded our own plates. The boys had enough food to feed a small village.

"Aaah, 'at's be'er," Ron said, with his mouth full of mashed potato.

"You're disgusting," I groaned.

Ron merely stared at me. I had a feeling that he was half tempted to show me his half-eaten dinner. "You're lucky there's a feast at all tonight, you know. There was trouble in the kitchens earlier," Nearly Headless Nick said.

"Why? Wha' 'appened?" Harry asked, through a sizable chunk of steak.

"Both of you. Were you raised in a damn barn?" I snapped.

"I was raised on a farm," Ron pointed out.

"But not in a barn," I hissed.

"I was raised in a cupboard under the stairs," Harry said.

"Oh, shut up," I mumbled. "We both know that the Dursley's would have never let you talk with your mouth full of food. Which, come to think of it, is probably why you're doing it." Harry grinned.

"Peeves, of course," Nearly Headless Nick said, shaking his head, which wobbled dangerously. He pulled his ruff a little higher up on his neck. I rolled my eyes. I definitely didn't miss Peeves over the summer. "The usual argument, you know. He wanted to attend the feast - well, it's quite out of the question, you know what he's like, utterly uncivilized, can't see a plate of food without throwing it. We held a ghost's council - the Fat Friar was all for giving him the chance - but most wisely, in my opinion, the Bloody Baron put his foot down."

The very thought of having Peeves at the start-of-term feast was horrifying. That was a good way to make sure that no new students ever wanted to come to Hogwarts. Peeves was bad enough during the occasional passing in the halls. The Bloody Baron was the Slytherin ghost, a gaunt and silent specter covered in silver bloodstains. He was the only person at Hogwarts who could really control Peeves. He was also one of the only ghosts who genuinely scared any of the students - mostly because he never spoke. I had only ever heard him laugh menacingly.

"Yeah, we thought Peeves seemed hacked off about something," Ron said darkly. I snorted under my breath. "So, what did he do in the kitchens?"

"Oh the usual," Nearly Headless Nick said, shrugging. "Wreaked havoc and mayhem. Pots and pans everywhere. Place swimming in soup." It was kind of pathetic that things like that were normal around here. "Terrified the house-elves out of their wits -"

There was a terribly loud clang. Everyone around the table jumped. We had drawn attention from people at all of the other tables. Hermione had knocked over her golden goblet. Pumpkin juice spread steadily over the tablecloth, staining several feet of white linen orange, but Hermione paid no attention. I groaned as some of it spilled into my lap. I jumped up and started dabbing at the stains all over my new robes. There goes another pair of robes. Every year, I had managed to ruin at least one pair.

"Hermione!" I growled, glaring at her. "Watch it."

She completely ignored me. "There are house-elves here? Here at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked, staring, horror-struck, at Nearly Headless Nick.

"Certainly," Nearly Headless Nick said, looking surprised at her reaction. "The largest number in any dwelling in Britain, I believe. Over a hundred."

"I've never seen one!" Hermione said loudly.

"Well, they hardly ever leave the kitchen by day, do they? They come out at night to do a bit of cleaning... see to the fires and so on... I mean, you're not supposed to see them, are you? That's the mark of a good house-elf, isn't it, that you don't know it's there?" Nearly Headless Nick said.

It had never really occurred to me that someone other than Filtch worked in the castle. It was stupid of me. I had really figured that someone just used magic to clean and make everything. I raised a brow. Did house-elves really do everything in the castle? Hermione made a good point. I had never seen any of the house-elves hanging around. Although, Nearly Headless Nick made a point. Most house-elves avoided being seen by the masters that they served. Hermione didn't understand the point, though. She was just staring at him.

She might not have understood the point, but the rest of us did. "They're slaves and servants, Hermione," I told her gently. She turned a horrified look on me. "That's literally the point of them."

"That's disgusting!" Hermione gasped.

"I never said it was nice," I mumbled.

"But they get paid? They get holidays, don't they? And - and sick leave, and pensions, and everything?" Hermione asked.

Was she joking? That was the entire point of my previous mention. The house-elves were barely considered to be living beings. There was no way that they were going to get perks that some normal human workers didn't even get. Nearly Headless Nick chortled so much that his ruff slipped and his head flopped off, dangling on the inch or so of ghostly skin and muscle that still attached it to his neck. I groaned in disgust and looked away, glad that I hadn't eaten too much already. It had always been hard for me to stomach his half-severed neck.

"Sick leave and pensions?" Nearly Headless Nick asked, pushing his head back onto his shoulders and securing it once more with his ruff. _Yep. There comes my dinner._ "House-elves don't want sick leave and pensions!"

They would think that it was insulting if we tried to offer them anything that a normal worker would ask for. It was definitely sad but it would have taken years and generations to try and upend all of the training that house-elves had ingrained into them. Hermione looked down at her hardly touched plate of food, then put her knife and fork down upon it and pushed it away from her. I rolled my eyes at her. Starving herself wasn't going to do anything from anyone. All it would do would annoy me as she started to get grouchier from hunger.

"Oh c'mon, 'Er-my-knee," Ron said, accidentally spraying Harry with bits of Yorkshire pudding. "Oops - sorry."

"Ron!" I yelped in disgust.

"'Arry -" Ron swallowed. "You won't get them sick leave by starving yourself!"

"Slave labor," Hermione growled, breathing hard through her nose. "That's what made this dinner. Slave labor."

"Yeah, well you're not doing them any good by starving yourself to death," I pointed out.

"I'm not eating this," Hermione snarled.

"So, you're planning on dying, then?" I asked. "That's a truly brilliant way to help them."

Hermione didn't answer. I laughed at her. She was being a complete moron and I knew that she was going to eventually give in. There wasn't the slightest chance that she was going to keep going on this one. Within a day or two, she would start starving and give in. I supposed the only thing left to do would be to let her just have her pissing contest with herself tonight. The boys looked shocked that she was even semi-serious about the entire thing. She wouldn't be bending tonight, at least. Throughout the rest of the meal, Hermione refused to eat another bite.

By the end of the meal, the rain was still drumming heavily against the high, dark glass. I was hoping that it would be warm and sunny by the time we had Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures. Those classes were both awful when we had weather like this. Another clap of thunder shook the windows, and the stormy ceiling flashed, illuminating the golden plates as the remains of the first course vanished and were replaced, instantly, with puddings. I smiled brilliantly. I just wished that the house-elves had made their chocolate cake tonight.

"Treacle tart, Hermione!" Ron said, deliberately wafting its smell toward her. "Spotted dick, look! Chocolate gateau!"

Did they really have to use names like that? I knew that Americans had some extremely strangely named foods, but it was nothing compared to the ones that they had here in England or Scotland. They really weren't good at naming foods. Hermione then gave him a look so reminiscent of Professor McGonagall that he gave up. I shrugged at him, silently letting him know that it would be best to just leave her to her own devices. She would eat again when she was starving - either in the morning or at lunchtime.

When the puddings too had been demolished, and the last crumbs had faded off the plates, leaving them sparkling clean, Albus Dumbledore got to his feet again. I straightened up slightly. This was it. I knew that this was the moment that we were all going to find out whether or not it was really the Triwizard Tournament that was going on at Hogwarts this year. The buzz of chatter filling the Hall ceased almost at once so that only the howling wind and pounding rain could be heard. Everyone had been waiting for this all evening.

"So!" Dumbledore said, smiling around at us all. "Now that we are all fed and watered."

"Hmph!" Hermione huffed.

"Shut up!" I snapped at her.

"I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices," Dumbledore continued. I exchanged a look with Cedric, across the hall. "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-Yo's, Fanged Frisbee's, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it."

The corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched. The older students all began chuckling. We all knew that no one would even dare set foot near Filch's office. That was a surefire way to end up getting detention for at least a few nights. I glanced over at the twins, both of whom were looking back at me. Each winked. I laughed at them. There was no doubt that the twins were the reason that over half of those things on the list were now banned. They would definitely manage to add onto it this year, just as they did every year.

Dumbledore continued, "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below Third Year. It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

"What?" Harry gasped.

 _That's not the Triwizard Tournament._ I jumped to my feet and shouted, "That's rubbish!"

"Sit down!" Hermione hissed.

We were supposed to be having a good time this year. Not having the Inter-House Quidditch Cup was one of the best parts of the school year! All around us, the Quidditch players in each House were staring at each other in shock. Hermione wrapped a hand around my robes and yanked me back down into my seat. Cedric looked stunned but was also laughing at my reaction. Harry was dumbfounded. I looked around at Fred and George, my fellow members of the Quidditch team. They were mouthing soundlessly at Dumbledore, apparently too appalled to speak.

Dumbledore went on, "This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely." I gasped. This was it. The Triwizard Tournament! "This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. You see Hogwarts has been chosen -"

Before Dumbledore got the chance to tell us all what was going on, the doors to the Great Hall opened. We all looked back to see Filch come running up the aisle in between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. He was running whilst pulling his knees almost all the way up to his chest. He darted up to Dumbledore and whispered something that no one else could hear. He then turned and ran off in the same fashion. I snorted under my breath in amusement. I certainly wasn't the only one. But Filch only glared at me. So, apparently, we still weren't on good terms.

"Still hates you, I see," Fred said.

"Shocking," I muttered.

"You did try to kill his cat," Fred said.

"Shut up!" I snapped. "I'm going to kill you."

Fred was referencing the moment that had truly made Filch hate me more than he ever had - and he'd never genuinely liked me before. Back in Second Year when a Basilisk had been set loose by the memory of Voldemort to attack the Muggle-Born's in the castle, Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, had been one of the beings to be petrified. Unfortunately, the four of us had been there at the time. My hand had been on her chest to check for a heartbeat when Filch had seen me. He had thought that I'd killed her and attempted to strangle me. I had never gotten an apology and never forgiven him.

Once Filch had vanished back out of the doors, Dumbledore continued. "I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts -"

But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall banged open again. I threw my head back in annoyance. Were we ever going to get on with the announcement of what was going on at Hogwarts this year? Most people ended up screaming at the sudden bang. Unlike Filch's comical entrance, this time had definitely been a lot more frightening. I glanced back and stared at the double doors. My jaw almost dropped at what I saw.

A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black traveling cloak. Was that really who I thought that it was? It certainly looked like it. Of all of the times that I could have been right about something... Every head in the Great Hall swiveled toward the stranger, suddenly brightly illuminated by a fork of lightning that flashed across the ceiling. He lowered his hood, shook out a long mane of grizzled, dark gray hair, then began to walk up toward the teachers' table. Oh, yeah. It would certainly be an interesting year for us.

A dull clunk echoed through the Hall on his every other step. I stared at him in surprise. Even though I had suggested that Mad-Eye Moody might have been our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, I had never thought that I genuinely might have been right. I was surprised that my parents hadn't mentioned his appointment to me. Moody reached the end of the top table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling. Hermione - and many other students - gasped.

The lightning had thrown Moody's face into sharp relief, and it was a face unlike any I had ever seen. Mad-Eye Moody was even scarier-looking than the stories made him out to be. It looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like, and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. There was a nasty scar over his cheek. But it was Moody's eyes that made him frightening.

One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye - and then it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head so that all we could see was whiteness. It was his magical eye. I knew that it allowed him to see all around him and through most objects, including walls. It was held in place by an eye patch that went over his forehead and wrapped over the back of his head.

Mad-Eye Moody reached Dumbledore. Everyone was staring at him like he was the newest exhibit in a museum. Which, I supposed, he kind of was. Moody stretched out a hand that was as badly scarred as his face, and Dumbledore shook it, muttering words that none of us could hear. He seemed to be making some inquiry of Moody, who shook his head and replied in an undertone. I hadn't seen him smile - or give any hint of emotion - since walking into the Great Hall. Dumbledore nodded and gestured Moody to the empty seat on his right-hand side.

Moody sat down, shook his mane of dark gray hair out of his face, pulled a plate of sausages toward him, raised it to what was left of his nose, and sniffed it. He then took a small knife out of his pocket, speared a sausage on the end of it, and began to eat. His normal eye was fixed upon the sausages, but the blue eye was still darting restlessly around in its socket, taking in the Hall and the students. Everyone awkwardly shifted around in their seats, presumably waiting for Dumbledore to explain who the hell the newest addition was.

Harry leaned over to me and spoke so quietly that I almost didn't hear him. "Is that -?"

"I believe so," I whispered back, terrified that he might hear me. "Mad-Eye Moody."

"You were right," Harry mumbled.

"Honestly, I was kind of hoping that I was wrong," I said, even more nervous now that I was seeing him fully, and he was seeing me. "He's a little..."

"Scary?" Ron filled in.

"Yep. That's one word for it," I muttered.

Finally, Dumbledore stepped back to his podium in the center of the head table. "May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Dumbledore offered brightly into the silence. "Professor Moody."

It was usual for new staff members to be greeted with applause, but none of the staff or students chapped except Dumbledore and Hagrid, who both put their hands together and applauded, but the sound echoed dismally into the silence, and they stopped fairly quickly. Everyone else seemed too transfixed by Moody's bizarre appearance to do more than stare at him. Even the Slytherin's looked completely stunned by the new addition. The tense air was much different than the polite smattering of applause that Remus Lupin had gotten last year.

"Moody?" Harry muttered to Ron. He still sounded disbelieving about the entire thing. "Mad-Eye Moody? The one your dad went to help this morning?"

"Must be," Ron said in a low, awed voice.

"What happened to him?" Hermione whispered. "What happened to his face?"

"Dunno," Ron whispered back, watching Moody with fascination.

Did they ever listen to me? "He was an Auror," I explained to them. They all nodded at me blankly. "He got in a lot of fights with some pretty dangerous witches and wizards over the years."

But I hadn't been expecting him to look quite the way that he did. Moody seemed totally indifferent to his less-than-warm welcome. Ignoring the jug of pumpkin juice in front of him, he reached again into his traveling cloak, pulled out a hip flask, and took a long drought from it. As he lifted his arm to drink, his cloak was pulled a few inches from the ground, and I saw, below the table, several inches of carved wooden leg, ending in a clawed foot. Moody shuddered from whatever it was that he was drinking. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"What's that he's drinking do you suppose?" Seamus whispered to us.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's pumpkin juice," Harry whispered back.

"Probably Firewhisky," I offered quietly.

That was the only drink I'd ever seen someone shudder that much from. "As I was saying," Dumbledore continued, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody. Everyone was too focused on Moody to even give Dumbledore a thought. "We are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

So, I was right. We were hosting the Triwizard Tournament. "You're JOKING!" Fred yelled loudly.

The tension that had filled the Hall ever since Moody's arrival suddenly broke. Nearly everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively. If I hadn't been so distracted from what Fred had just said, I would have jumped to my feet with anticipation. We would all really get the chance to enter into a competition that hadn't been played in hundreds of years. I was smiling brilliantly. Maybe I would be able to get over the fact that we weren't going to have an Inter-House Quidditch Cup this year. I slowly turned back to Fred and rolled my eyes. He still looked baffled.

"Freddie..." I muttered. He was still staring open-mouthed at Dumbledore. "Say it a little louder, why don't you?"

"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley, though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar," Dumbledore continued, smiling.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly. Fred and George were already muttering to each other about how they were planning on entering the tournament and splitting the winnings. I smiled at them. I should have known that they were planning on entering. They really could have used that prize money. I certainly didn't need it, but I really would have loved to do something without having my name attached to Harry's. This could have been the chance to do something all on my own. It could have been an interesting Fourth Year for me.

"That's so awesome!" I chirped brightly.

"Going to enter?" Fred asked me curiously.

Did I actually have enough nerve to throw my name in the ring? I wasn't completely positive. "Eh... I don't know," I told him honestly. "But I definitely can't wait to watch."

"Er - but maybe this is not the time... no... Where was I?" Dumbledore asked, realizing that Professor McGonagall was warning him against the joke, which I actually kind of wanted to hear. "Ah, yes, the Triwizard Tournament... Well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely.

"The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities - until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."

"Wicked..." Fred mumbled, grinning.

" _That's_ what you find fascinating?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Where's your sense of adventure?" Fred asked me happily.

My jaw dropped. "You stole my line."

Although I probably deserved it, after the many times I had used it against him. Fred grinned and stole two cookies off of my plate, tossing one to George. I scowled at them but didn't push it any further. They had already taken my food and there was no way that I could get it back without having to attack them, which would have certainly resulted in me getting detention for at least a week. No, I would have to settle with just glaring at them and promising that I would get them back for it later.

"Death toll?" Hermione whispered, looking alarmed.

Nothing had been that safe three hundred years ago. I wasn't that concerned about it. Neither, did it seem, was anyone else. Her anxiety definitely did not seem to be shared by the majority of students in the Hall; many of them were whispering excitedly to one another. My mind was already off in the far reaches of what could await the person (me) who won the tournament. I was far more interested in hearing about the structure of the redone tournament than in worrying about deaths that had happened hundreds of years ago.

Since Hermione was still muttering nervously, I leaned over to her. "The tasks were so dangerous that kids were getting way in over their heads. They were going in too young and unprepared," I whispered.

"And they think that it's a good idea to bring it back?" Hermione asked.

"Shut up, Hermione," I groaned at her.

This was a wonderful idea! Finally, something dangerous and actually fun that we could do! "There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament, none of which has been very successful," Dumbledore continued, over the rising chatter in the hall. "However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger.

"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween," Dumbledore said. I smiled. In a month we would be meeting other students from all over the country. "An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."

 _Impartial, my ass._ They were always going to be slightly biased. "I'm going for it!" Fred hissed from down the table, his face lit with enthusiasm at the prospect of such glory and riches.

"Maybe I'll go for it," I said dreamily.

"Really?" Hermione asked, looking quite shocked about the entire thing.

"I'm thinking about it," I said honestly.

Wouldn't that be fun? To compete in something that was voluntary, for once, and maybe not be risking my life for it. Fred Weasley was definitely not the only person who seemed to be visualizing himself as the Hogwarts champion. At every House table, I could see people either gazing raptly at Dumbledore or else whispering fervently to their neighbors. It seemed that students of all ages were debating on whether or not they had what it took to become the Hogwarts champion. It was the one time we had all been on board with the exact same thing. Everyone wanted to be the champion.

Naturally, only one of us would actually become the Hogwarts champion. I glanced off proudly, still thinking about myself getting crowned the Triwizard Tournament champion when I met eyes with Cedric. His chest was puffed out proudly. Oh, yeah... He was probably thinking about entering the tournament. I would have gladly thrown my support to him. But this was also the perfect time to throw it back in Malfoy's face. Cedric slowly turned to me and nodded, seemingly confirming that he was going for it. Eventually, Dumbledore spoke again, and the Hall quieted once more.

"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts, the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year," Dumbledore continued. There was a lot of looks exchanged between the younger students, myself included. "Only students who are of age - that is to say, seventeen years or older - will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration."

What? It meant that I couldn't enter. "That's rubbish!" Fred and George shouted together, rising to their feet.

"You don't know what you're doing!" George yelled.

"Oh, come on!" I yelped, disappointed.

This," Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, myself included, and the Weasley twins were suddenly looking furious, "is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below Sixth and Seventh Year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion."

His light blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over Fred's and George's mutinous faces. Damn it... We really weren't going to get a chance to enter in the Triwizard Tournament? I couldn't believe that I wouldn't be able. But, at least I would be able to throw my support to someone else. It definitely wouldn't be Fred or George. Having been born on April Fool's Day, they wouldn't be seventeen until months after the Triwizard Tournament began. They were just slightly too young to put their names forward.

Dumbledore continued. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen."

"Damn it... There goes that idea..." I mumbled.

"You really wanted to do it?" Hermione asked me.

"I was definitely thinking about it," I told her.

There was definitely some disappointment in my chest. I really had wanted to at least throw my name into the ring. It could have been fun to at least get excited over potentially getting my name pulled. I looked up again and smiled at Cedric, who was looking even happier. Despite being a Sixth Year, he would be seventeen at the beginning of October, just before the drawing of the names. He would be able to put his name forward. I supposed that I would just have to be content with supporting him. At least, this time, it would be someone else risking their life this year.

The twins were muttering mutinously down at their end of the table. I grinned. They definitely weren't going to be ready to give up on this as easily as I was. Of course, they needed that money to start their joke shop. I knew that the two of them would be trying to figure out a way to submit their names anyway. After all, the Goblet of Fire was a binding contract. If they were to be picked, it wouldn't matter how old they were. They would be in the tournament. But it definitely wouldn't be easy to fool Dumbledore.

"The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected," Dumbledore continued. "And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"

It was definitely exciting. I knew that the next month would be interesting. We would all be constantly talking about and wondering who was going to get picked as the Hogwarts champion. But now everyone was muttering among themselves about whether or not they could still somehow get their names put in. Dumbledore sat down again and turned to talk to Mad-Eye Moody. There was a great scraping and banging as all the students got to their feet and swarmed toward the double doors into the entrance hall. I'd have to ask Cedric tonight about his plans.

"They can't do that!" George said furiously, who had not joined the crowd moving toward the door, but was standing up and glaring at Dumbledore. I laid a hand on his shoulder and shoved him forward. "We're seventeen in April, why can't we have a shot?"

"They're not stopping me entering," Fred said stubbornly, also scowling at the top table. "The champions will get to do all sorts of stuff you'd never be allowed to do normally. And a thousand Galleons prize money!"

"Yeah," Ron mumbled, a faraway look on his face. "Yeah, a thousand Galleons..."

As they continued chattering among themselves, I threw myself forward in between the twins. "So... will you two tell me how you're planning on beating the Goblet of Fire?" I asked them, throwing my arms over their shoulders.

"Once we figure it out," Fred said.

"Help us?" George asked.

If any of us was going to get the chance to get into the Triwizard Tournament, it definitely should have been one of them. "You're closer to seventeen than me. Sure," I said carelessly.

"You wanted to enter?" Fred asked.

"Yeah. Kind of. Throw it in Malfoy's face," I explained. The twins laughed. "Surprised I'd want to?"

"I'd cheer you on as you get flattened by a giant snake or something like that," Fred teased.

"I've already beaten a giant snake," I pointed out. "Try again, asshole."

"Language, Tara," Fred said playfully.

He laughed again as I whacked him over the back of his head. "Come on, we'll be the only ones left here if you don't move," Hermione told us.

She was the only one who didn't seem to care even the slightest bit about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament. Of course, she had always been the one who had blatantly tried following the rules. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and I set off for the entrance hall, Fred and George debating the ways in which Dumbledore might stop those who were under seventeen from entering the tournament. I grinned at them. It definitely wasn't going to be anything cruel, but it would probably be a pretty good joke to embarrass the perpetrator.

"Who's this impartial judge who's going to decide who the champions are?" Harry asked.

"Dunno, but it's them we'll have to fool. I reckon a couple of drops of Aging Potion might do it, George..." Fred said knowledgeably.

"It's not a person. It's a goblet that chooses," I told them.

"What?" Harry asked, baffled.

"I don't know. That's just how it works," I said.

"Even easier!" Fred said happily. "An inanimate object."

Were they that clueless? It was probably going to make things even harder. But I would have liked seeing them try and figure things out. "But it's able to kind of read a person based on the name that they submit. The Goblet of Fire will know that you're underage. You'll have to do something really drastic if you want your name to get picked," I explained.

"Would it matter?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore knows you're not of age, though," Ron pointed out.

"The goblet's a binding contract. If your name is drawn, you're in," I told them.

"That seems dangerous," Hermione said suspiciously.

I would have thought, by now, that Hermione would have understood that nothing in this school was genuinely safe. It was part of going to a school that used magic for everything. "But it would never let someone underage submit their name," I said, not entirely sure if that was true. "Oh, who cares? We'll find out in a few weeks."

"Yeah, but Dumbledore's not the one who decides who the champion is, is he?" Fred asked shrewdly. For once, he wasn't completely wrong. Maybe the goblet could pick someone who was underage. "Sounds to me like once the goblet knows who wants to enter, it'll choose the best from each school and never mind how old they are. Dumbledore's trying to stop us giving our names."

"The goblet might end up ignoring your names," I pointed out.

"Worth a try, right?" Fred asked.

"Sure. What's the worst that could happen?" I said.

There was no way that Dumbledore would curse the goblet. They might be a little surprised and embarrassed, but it wouldn't kill them. "People have died, though!" Hermione said in a worried voice as we walked through a door concealed behind a tapestry and started up another, narrower staircase.

"Yeah, but that was years ago, wasn't it?" Fred asked airily. "Anyway, where's the fun without a bit of risk?"

"There's a good way to go about it," I said, giggling.

"Hey, Ron, what if we find out how to get 'round Dumbledore? Fancy entering?" Fred asked his brother.

"What do you reckon?" Ron asked Harry, who looked to still be in deep thought. "Be cool to enter, wouldn't it? But I suppose they might want someone older... Dunno if we've learned enough..."

"I'd do it," I said brightly.

"I'd root for you," Ron said, piping up.

"Thanks," I said happily.

"We wouldn't," the twins said together.

"Thanks, boys," I deadpanned.

"We need that prize money," Fred pointed out.

"You don't," George added.

"Okay, I suppose that's a fair point," I conceded.

"I definitely haven't," Nevile's gloomy voice came from behind Fred and George. "I expect my gran would want me to try, though. She's always going on about how I should be upholding the family honor. I'll just have to - oops..."

Neville's foot had sunk right through a step halfway up the staircase. I frowned at the sight of him. I'd gotten caught up in those stairs before, but not since my First Year when I was still learning my way around the castle. There were many of those kinds of trick stairs at Hogwarts; it was second nature to most of the older students to jump that particular step, but Neville's memory was notoriously poor. Harry and Ron seized him under the armpits and pulled him out, while a suit of armor at the top of the stairs creaked and clanked, laughing wheezily.

"You okay, Neville?" I asked, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Fine. Thanks..." Neville muttered awkwardly.

"Shut it, you," Ron said, banging down the visor of the suit of armor as we passed.

The suits of armor didn't like most of the students seeing as we were all so destructive. They hadn't liked me since I had toppled them over after slamming headfirst into Fred and George one afternoon. Not talking anymore, we made our way up to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, which was concealed behind a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress. We all stared at each other. None of us were Prefects which meant that none of us knew the password to get into the Common Room.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked as we approached.

"Balderdash, a Prefect downstairs told me," George said.

The portrait swung forward to reveal a hole in the wall through which we all climbed. At least this time, Neville didn't trip over it, as he so often did. A crackling fire warmed the circular Common Room, which was full of squashy armchairs and tables. I smiled at the sight of it. I had genuinely missed being here. Hermione cast the merrily dancing flames a dark look, and I distinctly heard her mutter 'Slave labor' before bidding us a brief good night and disappearing through the doorway to the girls' dormitory. She hadn't even bothered to wait for me.

"Uh... _goodnight_!" I yelled after her. She didn't respond.

"She'll get over it," Ron said.

But it likely wouldn't happen until the middle of the day tomorrow, which meant that she would be annoying me for the next twelve hours. "When she realizes that starving herself to death isn't exactly helping the house-elves," I told them. "Alright, boys. I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."

"Night, Tara," Harry said.

"See you tomorrow," Ron added.

Harry, Ron, Neville, and I climbed up the last, spiral staircase until we had all reached our own dormitories, which were both situated at the top of the tower. I said a final goodnight to the others quickly, ducking into their dorm for a brief second. Dean and Seamus were already getting into bed; Seamus had pinned his Ireland rosette to his headboard, and Dean had tacked up a poster of Viktor Krum over his bedside table. His old poster of the West Ham football team was pinned right next to it. I gave the two of them a hug before ducking back out.

Once I had let them know that I would see them again in the morning, I headed back out of the boys' dormitory and walked into the girls'. Five four-poster beds with deep crimson hangings stood against the walls, each with its owner's trunk at the foot. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown were already in bed. They were chattering with each other happily. Fay Dunbar looked like she was already half-asleep. Hermione was in the middle of getting ready for bed, still muttering to herself about the treatment of the house-elves.

"Hermione, you're going mental. Starving yourself isn't the way to go about this," I sighed, shaking my head at Lavender's endless supply of glittery makeup and overly-colored clothing.

"It's slave-labor!" Hermione gasped.

"They're kept warm and well-fed in the castle. This is better than most of the house-elves could ever dream of," I argued.

"It's attitudes like that..." Hermione muttered.

This definitely wasn't a conversation that I was prepared to have tonight. "Okay, fine. Goodnight," I told her bluntly.

"There has to be something we can do," Hermione said suddenly.

"We?" I repeated, shaking my head. "I think not."

"You're all for them being treated like slaves?" Hermione asked.

Better to appreciate the fact that they were being treated well here rather than trying - and failing - to make any headway on their equality. "They might not be paid but they're being housed and fed and kept safe and sound. Paying them would be an insult to their own pride. They were made to be servants. They're used to it," I tried to point out. "It's going to take a lot more than a determined teenager to change that."

"But -" Hermione started.

"Go to bed!" I yelled.

Parvati, Lavender, and Fay all jumped and snapped at us to be quiet. I rolled my eyes and flopped over in bed, facing Hermione. The five of us all quickly got changed - myself trying not to get too messy, considering my upcoming date - and got back into bed. Someone - a house-elf, no doubt - had placed warming pans between the sheets. It was extremely comfortable, lying there in bed and listening to the storm raging outside. I was half surprised that Hermione hadn't thrown the warming pan in her sheets onto the floor.

"I might go in for it, you know, if Fred and George find out how to... the tournament... you never know, do you?" I told Hermione through the darkness.

"That's a death sentence," Hermione responded.

"Maybe not," I replied.

If they were bringing back the Triwizard Tournament, there was no way that it was going to be that brutal. Probably scarier rather than anything else. I laid back in bed again and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the upcoming tournament. There was definitely no way that we were going to be allowed to compete. Any of us. Especially not me. I was far too young. But I could always think and dream about it. In the meantime, I knew exactly who was going to be competing - at least, who would actually be allowed to compete.

Definitely Cedric. It would have shocked me if he wasn't planning on competing. He had seemed excited about this in the weeks leading up to our return to Hogwarts. I had seen that look on his face when we were sitting together in the Great Hall. He had looked so proud. I was positive that he was planning on entering. He was just within the age bracket. I smiled at the thought. At least I would have someone that I knew well enough that it wouldn't feel weird to root for him just because he was from Hogwarts.

A few hours passed that I spent reading and sorting my things and thinking about the tournament. I would definitely be the first one who got themselves unpacked. I didn't want to lay down and potentially end up falling asleep. I would never hear the end of it from Cedric. So, I worked in relative silence. Thankfully, none of the other girls heard me. I knew that they would start questioning what I was doing and I didn't want anyone to know about those midnight meetups that I had in the Astronomy Tower with Cedric.

When the clocks throughout Hogwarts finally began chiming that midnight had come, I slowly slipped from my bed, still in my pajamas, and started heading toward the Astronomy Tower. It was a long walk from the Gryffindor Common Room all the way there. The Astronomy Tower was on the other side of the school. It wasn't the smartest idea to wander through the halls without the Invisibility Cloak, but I had forgotten to ask for it and I wasn't sure if Harry would have let me borrow it anyway. I wasn't really sure that I was concerned about it anyway.

If the Hufflepuff Prefect, Cedric Diggory, could make it to the Astronomy Tower without one, so could I. There was no way that I was letting him outdo me in the rule-breaking area. I wound through the halls and up the staircases that led to the Astronomy Tower as quickly as possible, grateful that I hadn't yet run into Peeves. I assumed that he was downstairs, causing a ruckus in the kitchens again. Eventually, I arrived at the spiral staircase that led to the tower and clambered up it. Cedric was already there, seated against the bars. He turned back to me and grinned.

"Look who's on time," Cedric teased.

"So, tell me, are you entering in the Triwizard Tournament?" I asked immediately, not bothering to beat around the bush.

"Hello to you, too," Cedric said.

"Come on. Tell me," I goaded.

Cedric grinned. "Here. For you."

Cedric reached back and tossed a wrapped Chocolate Frog at me, which I just barely managed to catch. "Ah. Thank you," I said happily, beginning to unwrap it. "Now are you going to tell me whether or not you're entering the tournament?"

But I knew that he was going to let me sweat this one out for a while. I supposed that I deserved it. Cedric grinned again and motioned me toward the bars. I walked over and dropped down next to him, watching the moon off in the distance. Cedric's arms wound around my shoulders as I smiled and leaned up against his shoulder. It was a nice night out - slightly breezy but still warm. It would be bitter cold in a matter of weeks. We stared up at the moon together for a long while as I chewed on my Chocolate Frog, waiting for Cedric to tell me the truth.

"I'm entering, Tara," Cedric said suddenly.

I lifted my head off of his shoulder. "You're really going to do it?"

"Surprised?" Cedric asked.

"I'm impressed," I said honestly. He beamed. "You're really going to go for it?"

"Dad told me about the tournament a few weeks ago," Cedric said. I furrowed my brows. Why hadn't my parents told me? "I started thinking about it more and more and I realized that I really want to give it a shot. This is the kind of glory that Hufflepuff has never gotten. I've always wanted to do something great and this would really be a good chance."

The passion in his voice was more than I'd ever heard before. He was serious about this. I smiled at him. Maybe this was my warning that I really shouldn't have made an attempt to enter the competition. Especially given that I was underage by a few years. I likely wouldn't have been able to make it work anyway. Dumbledore was much smarter than I was. I would have never been able to outsmart him. But Cedric would be seventeen in a few weeks. It would be nice to support someone else and not just because they were from Hogwarts.

So, I finally said, "You have my full support, then."

Cedric's head whipped around to me. He looked shocked. "I do?" he asked.

"You look surprised," I said.

"Honestly, I thought that you might want to try and enter yourself," Cedric said.

"You know me well," I teased.

"Believe it or not, I do," Cedric replied.

He did. With the exception of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Cedric probably knew me best. I leaned forward and pressed a long kiss against his mouth. Cedric smiled into it, raising his hand up to my hair and knotting it in. We stayed together for a long time as Cedric pushed me up against the bars over the edge of the Astronomy Tower. I smiled as I threw my legs up into his lap. It was well over ten minutes later that we finally pulled apart, laughing at each other. We definitely couldn't do that in the middle of the day, in between classes.

Cedric threaded his hand with mine as I leaned up against his shoulder. "I really thought about entering the tournament," I admitted. Cedric laughed, probably already well-aware that I had been planning on giving it a shot. "There's got to be some way to fool the Goblet of Fire into thinking that I'm older. But Dumbledore will be watching and I'm sure he'll think of something comically cruel to do to those who try and enter even though they're underage. But if my name were to get pulled when I'm still two years too young, I'll get in way more trouble than I've ever been in before.

In all honesty, I had probably thought about how to enter the Triwizard Tournament way too much. "Those are all good reasons to keep yourself from entering," Cedric said, laughing. "Maybe let someone else have the spotlight for the year?"

"Well, if I _have_ to give it up," I teased, moaning pitifully. Cedric laughed. "I think you can do it."

"Get picked?" Cedric asked.

That had to come first. He wouldn't be in the Triwizard Tournament unless his name was drawn from the Goblet of Fire. "Yeah. It evaluates who it thinks is the most worthy person in the school. They'd be hard-pressed to find someone who's more well-rounded," I told him truthfully. "You're good at almost everything in school, you're brave and kind and, let's face it, we'd all have an easy time supporting you."

"Why's that?" Cedric asked.

"Don't be stupid," I huffed. Cedric arched a brow. _Guess I'm going to have to admit it._ "I'm not the only person in the school who likes looking at you."

There was no doubt in my mind that Cedric Diggory was one of the most attractive people in Hogwarts. He laughed loudly as I winked playfully at him. I pulled myself out of his grasp and leaned back against the stone on the floor. No near-death experiences this year. That was something that I could definitely get used to. Although, it had occurred to me, what would I do with my time? I supposed that I would have to help Cedric with the tasks in the tournament. I was too nosy to keep to myself. I would have to see what was going on.

It went without saying that Cedric knew I wouldn't leave him alone during the tournament. I liked being involved in things. Cedric sat up for a few more minutes, watching the moon, before finally coming to lay down next to me. I immediately tucked my head down into his shoulder. A second later I felt Cedric's fingers press underneath my chin. He pulled my head up to meet his own, pressing a long kiss against my mouth. When we finally broke apart, I settled back into his chest, completely content on staying here all night.

"You really have faith, then?" Cedric finally asked.

"I do," I said honestly.

He looked quite proud of himself. I smiled at him. "Some of your friends probably won't like that," Cedric pointed out.

The last thing any of them would want was me supporting Cedric. "No, probably not. I've got a vague idea that a lot of the Sixth and Seventh Years in Gryffindor want to enter and I'm pretty sure that they think that they'll be picked," I told him awkwardly. "You know..."

Cedric waved off my concern. "Hey, no, I get it. Gryffindor's tend to get most of the glory. They always have. They'll probably be expecting one of theirs to be picked."

Unfortunately, he was right. "I'm sure they will," I replied. They would likely think that they would get their name pulled, but I genuinely thought that it would be Cedric. He just seemed so right for being the Hogwarts champion. He was all of the best qualities of all of the Houses. "Fred and George really want to enter but they're a few months too young."

Cedric laughed. He must have known that they would give it a try. "So, I can imagine that we're going to see the two of them doing something magnificent to try and enter?" Cedric asked.

"Oh, they'll figure something out," I said, laughing at the thought. "I'm thinking of suggesting an Aging Potion."

"You think that'll work?" Cedric asked me disbelievingly.

"Not at all," I said quickly, waving him off. There was no way that an Aging Potion would fool Dumbledore. That was likely the most obvious answer for someone to put their name forward. "I think Dumbledore's way smarter than an Aging Potion. But I'm also kind of curious to see what happens when the Goblet of Fire has someone underage enter."

It was Fred and George, after all. They could take a joke. "You're terrible," Cedric said, laughing.

"Yeah," I answered bluntly.

But I was only a little bit terrible. It was mostly just for good fun. I didn't want either one of them to get seriously hurt. We both laughed at my blunt answer as I wrapped a hand around Cedric's shirt and pulled him into me. Cedric laughed again as I pressed a lingering kiss against his mouth. Cedric grinned into the kiss as he pushed me underneath himself, down against the stone. Cedric's hands wound up to tangle in my hair. We remained locked together, our legs wrapped around each other's, for a long time. I giggled happily against his mouth.

When we finally pulled apart, I threw my legs over his, laying back against the stone. "What kind of tasks do you think the champions will have to do?" I asked curiously.

Cedric hummed thoughtfully. "In past years I know that they've done obstacle courses," Cedric said. I hummed thoughtfully at him. That could have been kind of cool. "Part of it will be physical. Then there will be a chance to test your knowledge of spells. Difficult transfiguration and maybe a chance to prove that you understand potions."

"Sounds kind of like what we went through in our First Year," I said.

"Hmm?"

"Back in First Year, when we were down in the dungeons, we went through this obstacle course type thing that had been set up by the teachers to protect the Sorcerer's Stone," I told Cedric. I hadn't actually explained to him exactly what had happened when we had gone down into the dungeons. "There was Fluffy - a three-headed dog - the Devil's Snare, the hunt for the correct key, the giant chessboard, the riddle with the potions, and the question of how to find the Stone."

Cedric started laughing. "That must have been fascinating."

"Would have been a lot more interesting had Voldemort not tried to kill us immediately after," I said honestly.

Cedric twitched slightly. "Right... I always forget about that little tidbit."

"Uh-huh," I muttered disbelievingly.

"What?"

"I saw how panicked you were after. You looked the same way after the Chamber of Secrets."

"Maybe if you'd stop putting your life in danger."

"What fun would that be?"

Cedric laughed. "You're right. Silly me. What fun could something be if you didn't have to risk your life for it?"

"Says the one who's going to enter the Triwizard Tournament," I shot back.

"You'll be cheering for me, right?" Cedric asked.

"As long as you win," I replied.

"Tara!" Cedric gasped.

"I can't be seen cheering for a loser," I gasped.

He merely stared at me. "You are a terrible person."

"But you like me anyway," I teased.

"Merlin knows why that is," Cedric huffed.

In the back of my mind, I had a feeling that Cedric might have just had the slightest inkling that I wasn't the best kind of person. He would have been right about that. I might have been fun and goofy, but I was also definitely not the best person in the world. Thankfully, Cedric had never seemed to mind that much. I barked out a laugh at Cedric as pulled me in for another long kiss. We stayed locked together as Cedric pushed the hair back off of my forehead. We stayed with our legs tangled together for a long time before finally breaking apart.

I stared off at the stars for a little while, thinking about the upcoming tournament. "It'll be so cool to get to see people from the other wizarding schools. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang," I said. Cedric nodded his agreement. "Not that I really care much for those schools."

Cedric chuckled. "Do you care for any schools other than Ilvermorny or Hogwarts?"

"No," I answered immediately.

"Of course not."

It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. "But if they made a school specifically for Irish Quidditch players, then we'd be talking," I teased, rolling onto my stomach to face Cedric.

He grinned bitterly at me, well-aware that I was messing with him. "If we're going to play that way, how about we talk about your fondness for a particular Ravenclaw student?" Cedric shot back.

My grin immediately fell. I searched the far reaches of my mind to try and remember if I had ever told Cedric the exact reason that I didn't like Cho Chang. Had I really admitted to him that I hated her because she had a crush on him? Idiot... Why would I have ever said that? Maybe I hadn't. Maybe my hatred of her was really that obvious. If anyone would have noticed, it was definitely him. I supposed that it didn't really matter now. He clearly knew, judging by the way that Cedric was grinning at me.

"Touché, my friend," I conceded.

"As your friend, let me tell you something," Cedric said. I laughed at his statement. "You're not very discreet."

I laughed. "I wasn't trying to be discreet."

I'd never tried to be discreet, but I had also hoped that he hadn't noticed. "I'm not interested in Cho Chang, nor will I ever be. She is my friend and nothing more," Cedric said.

"Well, this would be a bad place to tell me that you were interested in her. That's about a fifty story plunge to the ground," I pointed out.

Cedric laughed. "You wouldn't kill me."

"Nah..." I admitted. But if he ever told me that he had a crush on Cho Chang, I would definitely kick him where the sun didn't shine. "I guess I'd miss you. Just a little bit."

"You already said you would miss me, you can't take it back!" Cedric yelped.

"Damn me," I groaned.

We both laughed as we leaned back on the stone floor together. I wished that he had brought a blanket or that I had the Invisibility Cloak to sleep on. My head was tucked down into his shoulder as I rested against his hip. For a long while, we remained silent, watching the night sky and enjoying a few moments of privacy that we never got to enjoy otherwise. When classes started again, it would be almost impossible for us to get a moment alone. The teachers were very careful about letting two students go off in private together.

Eventually, we started chatting again. Our conversation quickly evolved into one about the Triwizard Tournament. We talked about everything. The ones that we had heard of before, the tasks that could have been prepared, and who else we thought might have been trying to put their name forward. There were multiple Sixth and Seventh Years in every House who would want to put their names forward. Cedric had a feeling that some of his own friends were also planning on putting forward their names. But even they were determined that he would likely get pulled.

But that only lasted for so long. Like any good teenagers who were sneaking out in the middle of the night, we spent a lot of times connected at the mouth. His hands rested down against my hips as mine wound around the back of his neck. I pressed one of my hands against the back of Cedric's neck, ensuring that he couldn't back away. Not that I thought that he was planning on moving away anytime soon. And that was the truth. It was well over an hour later when we finally pulled back with swollen lips and mussed hair.

"So... I see Colin Creevey's, Harry Potter/Tara Nox fan club is continuing to grow," Cedric teased.

"Oh, shut up," I growled.

It wasn't funny. It was awkward for everyone involved. "You just go so red when they talk to you," Cedric chuckled giddily. "Although, it's nothing compared to how red he goes when you talk to him."

"I'm going to give Phil Troy a call, how about that?" I shot back.

"At this point, it seems that you'll be able to add him to the fan club," Cedric teased.

"Ugh," I groaned, annoyed that he wouldn't play into my game.

Cedric grinned brightly. "Didn't get the answer you wanted?"

"I'm not giving you the satisfaction," I snapped.

Cedric laughed, running his hand over my hipbone. "What do you say we go back to our Common Rooms?"

"Maybe a few more minutes," I said playfully.

Cedric's lips turned up in a smile. "Oh, good. That was the answer I was hoping for."

It was easy to get him to stay with me. It was the exact same way to get me to not want to move. I laughed again as I gave Cedric a little kiss that quickly turned into a big one. My heart raced with excitement as he kept my body pressed roughly against his. Cedric once more leaned over me and pressed my back down against the stone ground. My legs found their place in between his own. Yes, I was definitely glad that he had offered me a few more minutes. Although, it had already been almost half an hour past when we had said that we would go.

That near half an hour had quickly devolved into something much more. Something almost like what had been on my mind for the past few months each time we'd been together like this. The two of us remained locked together for a long time. It would likely be the early hours of the morning by the time we left. When we finally broke apart, we remained on the floor, watching the stars dance across the sky. We quickly moved back against each other again. We didn't even pull away when the sky turned pink, signaling that the sun would be coming up soon.

It was definitely past four o'clock in the morning when the time came that we finally pulled apart. We didn't talk for a long time. Instead, we settled on laying together as I enjoyed the brief silence that we had. Neither one of us got much of a chance to enjoy our time together like this. Usually, we were always moving. Not only that, but there were also usually too many people around who wanted to watch us to see what was happening. I liked these moments of peace that didn't involve the peanut gallery listening in.

"You know, we're going to be exhausted tomorrow morning when we should really be ready for class," I told Cedric.

His eyes shot open. "Are you joking?" Cedric asked. I shook my head. "You're starting to sound like Hermione."

Starting to turn into Hermione. That was a horrifying thought. "Oh... Oh, my... Cedric, I think you're right," I gasped, placing a hand on my chest. He laughed at my sudden panic. "I'm spending so much time with her that I'm starting to turn into her. I need to do something with the twins. Or Ron. Or Harry. Or literally anyone else."

"Imagine the horrors of what could happen if you went to sleep on time or actually paid attention in class," Cedric teased.

"You're right. Horrible visions of the future, honestly," I told him.

Cedric snorted in amusement. "Should we go back to the Common Rooms?"

"Five more minutes," I moaned.

"Don't have to twist my arm," Cedric said immediately.

We both laughed again as I pulled Cedric in for another kiss. I was extremely grateful that we had managed to enjoy the few times like this that we got together without getting caught. That was the most surprising part of this entire thing. It had definitely been more than five minutes when I pulled away from him, annoyed that it was definitely time to go back to our respective Common Rooms. I had a feeling that classes would be starting in about two hours, leaving not much time to actually sleep. Oh, well... A problem for tomorrow, I supposed.

"Okay. Time to head back to the Common Rooms, I think," I told him, gently pushing myself back.

"Shall we?" Cedric offered, rising to his feet.

"Definitely," I said, taking his hand and pulling myself up.

"Definitely?" Cedric asked.

"In reference to the fact that we should definitely get going because I'll never hear the end of it from Hermione if I start falling asleep in the middle of class on the first day," I told him.

Cedric laughed. "Fair enough. Come on."

We both wandered down the spiral staircase and hurried through the hall. We had to be quick about things to ensure that we didn't get caught by any of the teachers who were on patrol duty. We headed toward the turret of Gryffindor Tower. I wasn't going to walk Cedric all the way there, but we could have a brief moment together. We stopped a floor below the stairs for Gryffindor Tower when I leaned in for a small kiss. It was extremely brief since neither one of us could afford getting caught out of bed, after hours.

"Goodnight, Cedric. I'll see you in the morning," I said sweetly.

"Goodnight, Tara," Cedric replied.

We leaned in and I pressed another quick kiss against his mouth. My heart fluttered slightly. I really did like being with him. It was at moments like these, though, that I wondered just how much I genuinely did like him. Was it finally more than just a big crush? I didn't want to think about it right now. I woke up the Far Lady (who didn't look happy to be woken up from her 'beauty sleep') darted back into the Gryffindor Common Room, and immediately dropped into my bed. There was barely an hour left before classes began, but I still couldn't fall asleep.

After a while, I rolled over in bed, a series of dazzling new pictures forming in my mind's eye. I had somehow managed to hoodwink the Goblet of Fire into believing that I was seventeen. I had become the Hogwarts champion. I was standing on the grounds, my arms raised in triumph in front of the whole school, all of whom were applauding and screaming. I had just won the Triwizard Tournament. Cedric's face stood out particularly clearly in the blurred crowd, his face glowing with admiration. I grinned into my pillow, exceptionally glad that Hermione couldn't see what I could.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _The students have their first day back at Hogwarts and enjoy a brief lesson with Mad-Eye Moody._ We're finally back at Hogwarts! Oh, I'm looking so forward to this story. It'll be great. Hopefully you guys like it, no matter where I choose to go with the story. Thanks for all of the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Ghostie1701:** **Happy belated Valentine's Day! Hope you had a good one. Yes, we're finally back to Hogwarts! I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter. Yep, the funeral is pretty much exactly what I was thinking when I wrote that line. Cedric is definitely picking up on the hints from Fred and we'll eventually hear more about that. That would have been funny! You know that Marcus would have Apparated onto the train just to kill Malfoy. Oh, man, Marcus is going to lose it if he ever hears the way that Draco talks to Tara. Hope you liked this one!**

 **Guest: Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I'm glad that you at least enjoyed the original parts. Those are my favorite to write. Your comment is definitely understood. I will start diverting from the books later on, but for now, I'm still following the story closely. I appreciate the comment about my good writing but I disagree that my OC is cliche. Of course, we're both allowed to have our opinions and I'm obviously biased. If you choose to continue reading the story, I hope that you do enjoy.**

 **pottersimpala67: Tara is definitely a jealous one! It'll pop up more in the coming chapters - and not always towards Cho. The slight tension between Fred and Cedric will continue throughout the story and we'll eventually see a real interaction between them. I'm so excited for the Yule Ball! It's one of the chapters I've been the most excited for this entire time. I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter! Unfortunately, I think if Tara showed real support for Cedric, her Gryffindor friends would probably try to pin her down and wash it off. Hope you liked this one!**


	13. Mad-Eye Moody

Early the next morning, I felt my leg getting shaken. I groaned slightly as I turned and rolled over, driving my head down into the pillow. I knew that it was Hermione standing over me. She was already dressed and appeared to be attempting to push me out of bed. But I wasn't getting up right yet. There was no way that the night was over. I really shouldn't have stayed out as late as I had the night before. I had ended up barely getting half an hour of sleep. Not a brilliant idea, considering that this was the first day of classes. I slowly leaned up in the bed, staring grouchily at Hermione.

"What do you want?" I growled.

"Hogwarts would like you to wake up and attend your first day of classes," Hermione said.

"Damn..." I groaned.

It really was time to get up? How? That wasn't fair. Even if this entire thing was my fault. "You went to sleep at the same time as the rest of us. What's wrong with you?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. I hate mornings... and you," I growled. Hermione scowled. "Go away."

"What did you do last night?" Hermione asked knowingly.

"Nothing," I told her.

Hermione stared at me disbelievingly. I groaned in annoyance as her eyes traced around the room, spotting my things now strewn about my side. Her brow arched curiously. "You unpacked?" Hermione asked me.

"Yeah," I answered.

She shot me a scrutinizing glare. "You did something else. What did you do?" Hermione asked accusingly.

"Nothing, Hermione!" I barked.

"I heard you leave last night," Lavender put in.

Lavender Brown was one of those people that I liked about half of the time. Sometimes she was a sweetheart and other times I wanted to pitch her from the Astronomy Tower. Currently, she was in the latter category. "Thanks for that, Lavender," I breathed out.

Hermione's gaze narrowed. She would figure it out within seconds. "Where did you go?" she asked.

"Bathroom," I answered.

"Downstairs?" Lavender asked, grinning.

Did she need to keep talking? I rolled my eyes again as I leaned over to Parvati and Fay, both of who were watching us with smiles. "Is there a bathroom down in the Common Room?" I asked them quietly.

"Going on your fourth year in this school and you still don't know whether or not there's a bathroom down in the Common Room?" Hermione asked me disbelievingly.

"Is there?" I asked curiously.

Of the many things I knew about Hogwarts, somehow that wasn't one of them. "No, Tara. There isn't," Hermione sighed. I groaned. There went that idea. "So, where did you go last night?"

There were two options. I could lie - which she would see right through - or I could tell her a watered-down version of the truth. At least she might go for that. "For a little while, I went upstairs into the Astronomy Tower and sat with Cedric," I explained weakly. There was some happy muttering from the other girls. "We had a nice little chat between the two of us before heading back down to our respective dormitories."

Hermione narrowed her gaze. "That sounds far too innocent."

"Thanks for the faith," I huffed.

"What _did_ you do?" Lavender asked curiously.

"Not that!" I snapped.

Lavender hummed quietly. "That's not what the rest of the school thinks."

My eyebrows shot up. "Huh?"

"We've only been here for a day! Not even," Hermione gasped, turning back to Lavender. "How did you already figure that?"

"It was one of the rumors swirling over the summer," Parvati explained quietly. I turned to her and motioned for her to continue. They definitely had me awake now. "Cedric Diggory's got a bunch of friends who wanted to hang out with him over the summer."

"What's that got to do with me?" I asked dumbly.

"He was always with you," Lavender said.

"So?" I hissed.

"Put two and two together, Tara," Fay said gently.

For a second, I stared at them blankly. Perhaps I had just been trying to ignore it over the summer. But I knew exactly what it was that they were talking about. I knew that it would be a problem when we returned this year. Of course. People all over the school - and definitely my dorm mates now - thought that we were sneaking away in private to hook up. That was definitely _not_ the truth. There had been some heavy kissing and nothing more. I had ever made sure to ask him last week and he had insisted that he was fine with the way that we were.

There was no way that he would tell his friends that we were either. It must have been a rumor that someone else was starting. "That's a lie. Just more gossip," I said, waving them off flippantly.

Lavender looked slightly disappointed. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"He's okay with that?" Parvati asked.

"Yes."

"Really?" Lavender asked.

"Just spit out whatever the hell you're talking about," I spat angrily.

The summer without having people whispering about my relationship with Cedric had been wonderful. I hadn't been prepared to come back to it. "Think about it a little bit, Tara," Lavender said. I nodded for her to continue. "Cedric Diggory is one of the most attractive guys in Hogwarts and he has no shortage of suitors." I rolled my eyes. I was well aware of that. "If you're not willing, I'm sure that someone else would be."

My jaw dropped as I tried to resist punching her. That wasn't something that Cedric would ever do. I knew it. "I think you're missing the point of Hufflepuff. They're honest and loyal," Hermione said, knowing that anything that came out of my mouth wouldn't be acceptable.

"But he's still a sixteen-year-old guy," Parvati argued.

"Can we just go to breakfast?" I growled lowly.

The girls all started giggling as they walked out of the room. I was glad that they were leaving because I really didn't think that I could have tolerated that conversation much longer. I rolled my eyes at them and practically threw myself out of the bed. I wanted to get out of this damn place right now. I wanted to just hide out by the Black Lake. I briefly grabbed Hermione's arm as she passed my bed, grateful to her for standing up for Cedric for even a brief second. Hermione gave me a slight smile as I got to my feet and started changing into my robes.

I was halfway through when I realized that Fay was still in the dorm room. She stopped at my side. "If it makes you feel any better, I doubt that Cedric would ever do something like that. Everyone knows what you mean to him," Fay told me.

"Thanks, Fay," I said quietly.

"See you later," Fay said, smiling at me.

"See you," I told her. I finished pulling on my robes before turning back to Hermione. She was nose-deep in some book about the history of house-elves. "Hey." Hermione glanced up. "Thanks for saying that."

"Of course," Hermione said, giving me a slight smile. "Don't listen to Lavender and Parvati. You know what they're like."

This wasn't just gossip. This was something that had been weighing on my mind for a long time. "Yeah, I know. But hearing them say stuff like that doesn't help. I mean, I've had a conversation with Cedric about it already and he says that it's fine and he's happy where we are, but I still get concerned. Them saying shit like that doesn't help," I said, ignoring the look on Hermione's face from my profanity.

Hermione's brow quirked curiously. "You had a conversation about that with Cedric?"

"Toward the end of summer," I admitted. This was one conversation that I had been hoping to get away with not having. I was hoping it would stay between the two of us. "We went for a walk after the dinner with my parents and we were kissing and it kind of dawned on me and I spat it out before I could think better of it. He was sweet about it, though. He kept telling me that he was perfectly happy where we were." Hermione smiled. "But, I don't know, how much longer will he be happy? Parvati and Lavender aren't completely wrong. He's a teenage guy. When's that next step going to come in?"

It was something that had started bothering me a few weeks ago. The question of how long it would take before Cedric wanted more and whether or not I was ready for it. At the moment, I definitely wasn't. I really liked him and liked spending time with him (and kissing him, if I was being honest) but I wasn't sure that I was ready for anything more. My gaze slowly turned back to Hermione. She was giving me a look that I couldn't quite read. My naturally defensive demeanor immediately kicked in.

"What?" I snapped. "I hate that judgemental face."

"It's not judgemental!" Hermione gasped. I sighed at her. I'd known that. She was just thinking. She wouldn't have judged me, even if I had already done what the other girls were suggesting. "I swear that it's not."

"Sorry," I said quickly, feeling a little guilty for snapping at her without reason. "I just - I don't know. He might be there, but if he is, let's be honest about it. He knows that I'm not and he's not the type to pressure someone. So, he'll go off of what he thinks I think about the entire situation and go from there." Hermione stared at me. "That doesn't make any sense, does it?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, it does. Tara, you don't have anything to be worried about. Cedric - I don't know how deeply his feelings for you truly run - but I do know that he cares for you enough to wait until you're ready for the next step. We both know that he wouldn't dare do anything to hurt you in the meantime. He'd never do something like that," she argued.

The truth was that she was right. I knew it deep in my bones. Cedric might have wanted to move a little bit faster, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. Just like he had said on the playground on Magnolia Crescent, he was fine with where we were. I knew that Cedric had been placed in Hufflepuff for a reason. He would never dare do anything to break my trust. He just wasn't that kind of person. If he ever had a problem, he would come to me to talk about it. I had said it many times before; he was one of the good ones.

"You're right," I finally told her.

Hermione smiled at me slightly. Her gaze was fixated on my hand, which was currently twisting around the chain of the necklace that showed me my happiest memories. "I might not have had any relationships of my own, but I do understand them. And I see how he looks at you," Hermione said. A small smile eventually tilted up on the corner of her lips. "Not to mention how you look at him..."

"We're dating. How would you like me to look at him? Scowl at him?" I asked her dumbly.

The longer that Hermione looked at me, the more I realized what it was that she was talking about. "Come on, Tara," Hermione said, nudging my hip. I stared at her. "You can tell me."

Absolutely not. I was avoiding that conversation with myself even more than I had been with the previous one. "On that note, I think we're late for class. Let's go," I told her, grabbing her wrist and dragging her toward the door. Hermione laughed as I chucked her shoes at her and threw my own on. "You know, we really have to get you a boyfriend this year."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Not interested."

"Not even in a certain red-head?" I asked teasingly.

"I have no interest in Ron," Hermione said huffily.

A grin turned up on the edge of my lips. She had walked right into my trap. "Funny. I don't remember saying Ron," I told her quietly.

Her head snapped over in my direction. "Don't even go there," she warned.

But I was still rooting for the two of them to end up together. "Come on! You can tell me, I won't laugh. I understand," I said, running over to her and hanging over her shoulders. Hermione rolled her eyes and tried to pry me off. "Ron's kind of a moron, but he's the sweet kind and that's the best kind. Plus, you two have been friends forever. Oh, I can push you two together."

"Stop it!" Hermione said, finally managing to shove me off of her. "Ron is my friend and nothing more."

"Do you just enjoy sucking the fun out of my life?" I huffed.

"Let's focus on your relationship, shall we?" Hermione offered.

Baby steps, I supposed. The Ron remark would at least root itself in her head for now. I could work more at the two of them later. "Fine. But mark my words Hermione Granger, I will see you with Ron Weasley if it's the last thing I do!" I yelled at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay. Come on. We're late."

Just before she walked out the door, I reached over and grabbed her arm. "Hey. Hang on," I said. She glanced up. "Thanks, Mione."

"Anytime," Hermione said, smiling at me.

"Tara! Hermione!" Harry's voice yelled up to us. "Are you two still up there?"

"Yeah! We'll be there in a second!" I called down to him.

"Come on, you," Hermione said, dragging me along. "No more romance talk!"

"We'll work on it," I told her.

One day I would get her to admit that she had feelings for Ron. Anyone, really, I supposed. She would need someone to practice on first. Perhaps she needed to date someone else before Ron. Hermione rolled her eyes, knowing that I wouldn't let this one go anytime soon, as the two of us walked out of our dorm and down the stairs. Ron and Harry appeared to be some of the last remaining students in the Common Room. Everyone else was likely already down in the Great Hall having breakfast and preparing for their first day of classes.

"You two took ages," Ron groaned as we walked into the Common Room.

I grinned nastily at Hermione. "We were actually having an interesting discussion about -"

"House-elf rights!" she squeaked, interrupting me.

Harry and Ron both looked at us sideways as I smiled at Hermione, who looked horrified. But she should have known that I wasn't actually going to say anything. "You found a discussion about house-elf rights interesting?" Harry asked me disbelievingly.

"Yeah. You know me. I love... equality," I muttered dumbly.

"Whatever," Ron groaned. His stomach started grumbling. "Can we go get breakfast now?"

"Sure," I said, heading out of the portrait.

Ron and Hermione walked just ahead of us, the two of them snapping at each other about Hermione's newfound love of house-elves. "Why were you two really down so late?" Harry whispered to me.

Making sure that the two of them couldn't hear me, I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Oh, I was teasing Hermione. I told her that we were going to get her a boyfriend this year and she said that she wasn't interested. When I mentioned a certain red-head, she jumped to the conclusion that I meant Ron," I said quietly. Harry grinned.

"Still working on that, are you?" Harry asked bemusedly.

"I'm not a quitter, Harry Potter. They'll get together. Just wait for it," I said confidently.

One day the two of them would be together. They could be sure of that much. "I can't believe you're that determined," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"Really?" I asked him disbelievingly.

"No. I know you. I should know that you're going to keep at this until it happens," Harry said.

"Damn straight," I agreed.

We both laughed quietly. They should have all known that I was going to get Hermione and Ron together - no matter what it meant. Harry wrapped an arm over my shoulder as the four of us headed downstairs for breakfast. Harry and I quickly sped up to fall into line with Hermione and Ron. They were still arguing about breakfast. About halfway down the grand staircase, Hermione stepped in front of Harry and scowled at me. I grinned at her. Clearly, she was quite afraid that I would say something about our earlier conversation to Ron.

But I meant what I had said. I wouldn't tell him. That part was going to be up to them. The storm from last night had blown itself out sometime in the early morning, though the ceiling in the Great Hall was still gloomy; heavy clouds of pewter gray swirled overhead as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I examined our new course schedules at breakfast. I hadn't actually gotten a chance to look though. I was distracted by something else. A few seats along, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were discussing magical methods of aging themselves and bluffing their way into the Triwizard Tournament.

Placing my schedule down on the table, I scooted over to where the three of them were sitting. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they'd barely noticed me slide over. "What are you three dimwits planning?" I asked them sharply.

All three of them jerked up to look at me. "Dimwits?" Lee asked, offended.

"We'll have you know that our plan is so -"

"Dimwitted?" I interrupted George.

"What's your brilliant plan to enter, then?" Fred asked sharply.

"I'm not entering," I told him simply.

Fred stared at me as if waiting to see when I would laugh at him for falling for his trick. "What?" Fred asked. I shrugged at him. "Why?"

"Because I've come to realize that there are better ways to spend my time this year. Not being in trouble for entering, underage, is one of them," I told them. Fred and George looked shocked at my sudden care for the rules. "Plus, you know, I've kind of had a lot of near-death moments over the past few years. Maybe I'll get off without one this year."

All three of them stared at me for a long time. Finally, Fred said, "Big baby."

"Thanks," I snapped.

"Or is it because you've found someone you'd rather support?" George asked knowingly.

The three of them started laughing. I rolled my eyes at them and glanced around. At that comment, a number of the other students at the Gryffindor table turned to me. They probably wanted to know if George was right or not. He wasn't a fool. He was right about me having someone else to support. But I wasn't going to say it out loud. I would rather not be public enemy number one this early. I knew that no one would be happy with me when they found out that I would be supporting Cedric. So, I decided to lie to them for now.

"Absolutely not. I just want to see one of you morons struggle your way through the tournament," I told them. Their laughing faces fell. "Should be fun."

If they were ever picked for the Triwizard Tournament, I would have a ton of fun watching them screw themselves over throughout the year. Fred, George, and Lee leaned over to whack me for my comment. I laughed quietly as I moved back over to my side of the table. I grabbed the schedule that had been laid out by Professor McGonagall. We had all missed them being handed out because we were so late. My schedule had been reworked more than anyone else's to ensure that I could still take all of the classes I wanted to without having to use the Time-Turner.

"Today's not bad... outside all morning," Ron said, who was running his finger down the Monday column of his schedule. I glanced down at my own. My Monday's were just as full as theirs were, but I would have more classes on Tuesday and Thursday. "Herbology with the Hufflepuff's and Care of Magical Creatures... damn it, we're still with the Slytherin's..."

"Oh, shocking. You know that we'd have to be with them at least once," I told him irritably.

"We can always hope," Ron moaned.

"When do we have Potions?" I asked. That was the real nightmare.

Ron scanned down the list. "Tomorrow."

"One more day of peace," I said.

"Double Divination this afternoon," Harry groaned, looking down.

Two wonderful classes in a row... It wasn't that I hated Care of Magical Creatures. I actually did quite enjoy the class. But it was taught by Hagrid, who the Slytherin's had always hated. They tried anything possible to embarrass him. I hated that we would have to have that class with him again. They would just try to get him fired all over again. As much as I wasn't looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures, Divination was my least favorite subject, apart from Potions. Professor Trelawney kept predicting Harry and I's deaths, which we both found extremely annoying.

"Wonderful," I groaned.

"You should have given it up like me, shouldn't you?" Hermione offered briskly, buttering herself some toast.

"Shut up. You only gave it up because you sucked at it," I told her.

"It was useless!" Hermione gasped, affronted. She had never particularly liked being told that she was bad at anything. I grinned at her. "Why didn't you drop it?"

"Because I'm thinking of being an Auror and they really like to have their applicants be well-rounded," I told her. Hermione still didn't look like she understood what I meant. "I might hate Divination but it's something different since so many people drop it or never even bother. Being able to see signs that something is wrong while you're essentially acting as a detective? It could help win me a job. I don't know, I'm hoping that I might stand out with it on my curriculum."

"You'll just drive yourself insane in the meantime?" Harry asked.

"Pretty much," I admitted.

Harry and Ron laughed. "Well, if you had dropped it, you would at least be doing something sensible like Arithmancy," Hermione said haughtily.

"It's really only required if you want to be something like a Curse-Breaker," I told her, jumping to the boys' defense. She arched a brow as I threw my head back to the boys. "Let's admit it, there's no way that these two morons could do that."

"Hey!" Ron and Harry barked.

"Bill's a Curse-Breaker," Ron pointed out.

I rolled my eyes as I turned back to him. "And when's the last time you studied anywhere near as hard as Bill did?"

Ron flushed and went back to his food, muttering under his breath. I grinned and turned back to my own plate. "Are you still taking Arithmancy, Tara?" Hermione asked, glancing down at my schedule.

"Yeah. I've just got it at a different time than you do. You're taking it with the Ravenclaw's. I'll be taking it with the Hufflepuff's and Slytherin's so I can also do Divination. I talked it all out with Professor McGonagall. I've got a normal schedule again," I explained.

"That might be interesting," Hermione said.

"Doubtful. Malfoy's in that class," I growled.

"Oh, sorry," Hermione said.

I'd been unfortunate enough to notice that Malfoy would be in a number of my classes this year. "You're eating again, I notice," Ron said, watching Hermione adding liberal amounts of jam to her toast.

"I've decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights," Hermione said haughtily.

"Yeah... and you were hungry," Ron said, grinning.

"He's got a point. I heard your stomach this morning," I told her.

Hermione rolled her eyes again, determined to ignore us. There was a sudden rustling noise above us that kept me from continuing to harass her. A hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. I smiled up at them, scanning the ceiling for Dai but knowing that he wouldn't be there. There was no way that Mom and Dad would have written to me yet. They didn't miss me that much. Everyone else who would have been writing me, save Sirius, was right here at Hogwarts.

Instinctively, I noticed Harry look up. I'd almost forgotten that we were waiting for Sirius to write him back. I glanced up again with him, but there was no sign of white among the mass of brown and gray. Hedwig was always one of the easiest owls to spot and there was no doubt about it. She wasn't here. But I couldn't be too concerned. It would be a few more days before she returned. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. I watched Rusty land in Cedric's lap with a small letter - likely from his mother.

A large tawny owl soared down to Neville Longbottom and deposited a parcel into his lap - Neville almost always forgot to pack something. On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy's eagle owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home. I rolled my eyes at the proud grin on his face. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment in my stomach, I returned to my eggs, trying to ignore the nerves in my stomach. Was it possible that something had happened to Hedwig, and that Sirius hadn't even got our letter?

On my other side, I noticed that Harry was as nervous as I was. He was stabbing at his porridge, not actually eating it. "They're fine, Harry," I told him, pulling the spoon out of his hands. "Hedwig and Sirius."

"When's the last time you heard from him?" Harry asked.

"A few weeks ago," I admitted. That didn't seem to relax Harry even the slightest bit. I lowered my voice so that no one else could hear us. "But, Harry, I think that he's somewhere tropical. Probably thousands of miles away. That's a long journey for Hedwig to be making. It would have taken her at least a few days to get to the islands. Sirius will have let her rest at least a day before sending her back. It's going to take a little while."

He thought about that for a long time. "You really think so?" Harry asked.

"He hasn't stayed away from the Ministry this long to get caught now. He's going to be just fine. You're worrying for nothing," I said confidently.

My only choice was to believe that Sirius and Hedwig were going to be okay. I had to have faith that they were going to be fine. I was sure that it would drive me out of my mind with worry if I thought for even a second that Sirius was going to get caught. He had been smart enough to avoid authorities for over a year. He wasn't going to get caught now. But that didn't stop me from twiddling my thumbs nervously, hoping that breakfast would end already so that I could go to class and finally get my mind on something else.

Slowly I looked back up to the ceiling and smiled as Dai flew down to the table. Sometimes he did like to just visit. He landed on the table next to Ron and gave him a quick bite - as he had been known to do. Ron swore loudly and I whacked him over the back of the head as he reached over to hit Dai. My owl gave something of a smirk before hopping over to me, knowing that I would protect him. I rolled my eyes and allowed him to steal some eggs and bacon off my plate. Ron continued glaring at him.

Dai hung around for a few more seconds while he demanded to be pet. That was also when I realized that he had a letter with him. I took the letter and placed it down on the table as Dai gave me an affectionate nip and took off. I watched in amusement as he soared over to the Hufflepuff table and landed at Cedric's plate. I laughed guiltily as my own demanded that he feed and pet him. Thankfully Cedric didn't really look all that bothered. He gave Dai a little bit of bacon and stroked his feathers for a few seconds before Dai took off. Cedric rose with him and headed over to me.

As Dai headed off - likely to the Owlery with the rest of the students' owls - Cedric seated himself on my free side. "He's as bratty as you are," Cedric said, taking some bacon off of my plate as repentance for what Dai had taken from him.

"Learned behavior. What can I say?" I said teasingly. We smiled at each other as Cedric shifted slightly to lean back against the wood. "Where were you going?"

"Library. There's a book I want to pick up."

"Mm... Have fun," I said carelessly.

Cedric rolled his eyes. I assumed that he was starting his preparations for his N.E.W.T. exams next year. "Do you have a break today?" Cedric asked, glancing over my shoulder at my schedule.

"Just lunch, unfortunately," I said regrettably.

"Too bad," Cedric groaned.

Wouldn't Hogwarts have been much better if there were no classes and we could just socialize all the time? Unfortunately, we still had to pretend like we were really here to learn. The two of us sat together for a while as he handed me over his schedule. It looked very similar to his schedule from the year before. He had one free period each day - except Wednesday. We wouldn't have much of a chance to see each other outside of the weekends and normal breaks. Perhaps that was a good thing, though. This was a pivotal year for both of us and we needed to focus.

We both scanned over each other's schedules before handing them back. As I leaned back in my seat, I remembered his previous question. "Was there an offer in there somewhere?" I asked him curiously.

"I was going to see if you wanted to go on a walk around the Black Lake," Cedric said.

"Oh, cheesy and romantic. Good pairing," I teased.

Cedric glared at me and picked up a roll, chucking it at my head. "Here I was, trying to make a sweet gesture," he said.

I laughed as I managed to swat the bread roll away from me. It shot onto the other end of the dining hall. "I've got some time in between classes tomorrow. How about then?" I offered.

"Works for me," Cedric said. I smiled at him. "Can I meet you before dinner?"

"If you're lucky," I teased.

We both laughed. "I'll see you a little bit later."

"Have a good first day of classes."

"You too. Try not to sleep through any of them or get detention," Cedric said.

"No promises," I replied honestly.

It would just depend on how boring classes were today. Cedric chuckled softly and leaned down to press a small kiss against my mouth. I blushed softly as he pulled away and headed off toward the library, probably to find whatever boring book it was that he needed for his class. As Cedric walked off there was some laughing and giggling from the other students. We still weren't done with the rumors, it seemed. I rolled my eyes and smacked Harry, who was making gagging noises, as I turned away and opened my letter. The handwriting and return address was unfamiliar to me.

 _Tara,_

 _Hopefully, it's okay that I'm writing to you while you're at Hogwarts. I hope that it gets to you before your classes begin. I just wanted to tell you that it was wonderful meeting you a few weeks back at the Quidditch World Cup. You remind me very much of your father. I hope that you don't mind me saying that. Trust me when I say that it's a compliment. He was always one of the best men and players I've ever known._

 _Since I'm sure that you'll be on your way to class at any moment, I suppose that I should get to the point. Now that you're back at Hogwarts, you must have finally heard the truth about the Triwizard Tournament. That must be exciting for you and the rest of the school. I wish that I would have gotten the chance to see that. Anyway, I know that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup won't be happening this year. I'm sorry to hear that. You must have been looking forward to being back on the Pitch. But, on the bright side, there will be some Quidditch recruiters present during the Third Task._

 _Once I know their names, if you'd like, I'd be more than happy to pass them along to you. And if you're interested, I might also slip them your name. Trust me, they'll be willing to listen to the daughter of Marcus Nox._

 _Just thought that I would offer. I know that if I was in your position, I would want that opportunity. Giving them your name might give you a door, but they'll only take you if you're talented, which I hear you are. Don't feel bad using your name for a leg-up. Take some time and think about it. In the meantime, enjoy being back at Hogwarts and have fun watching the Triwizard Tournament. Perhaps we will see each other again sometime soon._

 _Have a good semester,_

 _Phil Troy._

Smiling down at the letter, I folded it back up and tucked it into my bag. That was an interesting proposition that he was offering. Definitely not one that would have occurred to me before. I sat at the table for the remainder of breakfast, batting the idea back and forth, considering what I would end up writing back. I really wanted to do it but I wasn't sure that I would actually go through with it. Like he had mentioned in the letter, I would feel guilty for using my family name to get me a leg-up in the Professional Quidditch League.

It was worth noting that Phil Troy was now writing to me while I was at school. I could have only assumed that Phil had sent his own owl with the letter to Hogwarts and that owl had delivered it to Dai, who had then delivered it to me. I glanced up at the roof curiously, almost convinced that another owl would drop off a letter telling me that the first had only been a joke. But it never happened. Phil was really offering me his help to become a professional player. I grinned madly. I must have made more of an impression on him than I had originally thought I did.

A long time passed that I stared down at the table, my mind racing with possibilities over what I would do with a potential meeting set-up with professional Quidditch recruiters. The others at the table were staring at me curiously but didn't say anything about the letter. They likely knew that I wouldn't have told them what was going on anyway. This was something that I needed to figure out on my own. But I knew that this was something that I would be thinking on likely until the day before the Quidditch recruiters arrived at Hogwarts.

For the next few minutes I finished my breakfast in silence, my head stuck somewhere in between the possible in for a professional Quidditch career and my fear that something might have happened with Sirius. Eventually, I found myself completely engrossed in what might have been happening. Could he have been caught? Probably not. I was sure that we would have heard about it by now if that was the case. There was no way the Ministry would keep it a secret when they had looked like fools for so long now.

Perhaps Sirius was just moving around a lot right now and hadn't gotten a chance to sit down and write a full letter. That was all that I could hope for right now. I really just wished that wizards would use cellphones... In the meantime, I would have to settle with the hope that the letter from him would arrive sometime in the next few days. If I was being completely honest, I was getting nervous over Sirius's position. But I needed to stay positive. That was the only way to keep Harry calm. He was a lot more wound up about it than I was.

My preoccupation lasted through breakfast and all the way across the sodden vegetable patch until we arrived in greenhouse three, but it was there that I was distracted by Professor Sprout showing the class the ugliest plants I had ever seen. Indeed, they looked less like plants than thick, black, giant slugs, protruding vertically out of the soil. Each was squirming slightly and had a number of large, shiny swellings upon it, which appeared to be full of liquid. I'd seen Mom dealing with them a lot when she was a Healer back in the States. They had always repulsed me.

"Bubotubers," Professor Sprout told us briskly.

Yep. It was exactly as I thought - a disgusting start to the year. "Oh, I hate those things," I groaned.

Thankfully, Professor Sprout didn't hear me. "They need squeezing. You will collect the pus -"

"The what?" Seamus Finnigan asked, sounding revolted.

"Pus, Finnigan, pus, and it's extremely valuable, so don't waste it," Professor Sprout said happily, barely noticing the disgusted looks that she was getting from the rest of the class. "You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus."

"Kind of like squeezing pimples," I whispered to Hermione, who was turning green.

"That's repulsive," she gasped.

"So, we know that you won't be an Herbologist," I teased. She continued shaking her head as I slipped on my gloves. "They use bubotubers and the pus all the time. Healers, too."

"I'll pass," Hermione said.

She hadn't even put on her gloves yet. I smiled at her and tossed them into her lap. "Come on, you big baby. I'll help you," I said.

It took a long time to convince Hermione that nothing was going to happen to her - she just had to go for it. I had never actually touched a bubotuber before, but I'd seen people use them plenty of times before. Squeezing the bubotubers was disgusting, but oddly satisfying. As each swelling was popped, a large amount of thick yellowish-green liquid burst forth, which smelled strongly of petrol. Some part of me almost enjoyed it. It was kind of relaxing. It kind of reminded me of the stress-balls that Muggles would use.

Needless to say, most people didn't enjoy squeezing the bubotubers nearly as much as I did. Of course, most of them had never seen them before, so this was a rather shocking first lesson of the semester. We normally started slowly. But I at least got to chat with my friends throughout the lesson. Just as with the summer before, most of the students had done much of the same. Dean and Seamus had spent most of the holiday hanging out with each other. Seamus's father was evidently growing more used to the Wizarding World. Dean still loved soccer.

Neville had spent much of the summer with his grandmother who, as usual, didn't approve of him spending much time away from her. I felt bad for him. It had to make for a boring holiday. Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, and Justin Finch-Fletchley had spent a lot of their time together. I liked all three of them but I tended to avoid their invitations to hang out. They liked to talk about my relationship with Cedric too much. Lavender, Fay, and Parvati had all spent a lot of time shopping and gossiping. Apparently, my relationship with Cedric was one of their favorite topics to discuss.

Unfortunately, my relationship status was once more a rather large source of conversation throughout Hogwarts. As Lavender had warned me, everyone was curious to know just where Cedric and I stood with each other. I was sure that it would only be a few weeks before the broom cupboard rumors resurfaced. I couldn't believe that I had the most interesting relationship in all of Hogwarts, but I had to remember that Cedric was one of the most popular students in Hogwarts and I was Harry Potter's crazy best friend. We made an odd couple.

Much of the lesson was spent trying to convince the others near our table that nothing more had happened between Cedric. They didn't seem all that convinced. I was sure that by lunchtime there would be rumors of how they assumed I'd spent my summer. I'd just have to roll my eyes and ignore it as I always did. Until that time, I was attempting to keep occupied with the bubotubers. We caught the pus in the bottles as Professor Sprout had indicated, and by the end of the lesson, we had all collected several pints.

"This'll keep Madam Pomfrey happy," Professor Sprout, said stoppering the last bottle with a cork. "An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples."

"Like poor Eloise Midgen," Hannah said in a hushed voice. "She tried to curse hers off."

"Silly girl," Professor Sprout said, shaking her head. "But Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back on in the end."

Eloise Midgen was a Gryffindor student a year below us. She was quite nice but painfully shy. It was mostly due to the fact that she had one of the worst cases of acne I had ever seen on someone. Even Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potion didn't seem to do the trick. I had once tried to convince her to keep at it, but she had apparently thought that it was making her acne even worse. Last year she had vanished for a few days after what I'd assumed was a simple homework spell gone wrong. I had seen her in the hospital wing after a collision with George during Quidditch practice.

Eloise had seemed so upset that day that I hadn't wanted to ask what was wrong with her. But I had been curious. " _That's_ what happened to her?" I whispered to Hannah.

"What did you think happened?" Hannah asked.

"I ran into her in the hospital wing and assumed that it was a homework accident. Later on, someone told me that Parkinson cursed her. Which, honestly, would have made sense. I was planning on hexing Parkinson, later on, to get back at her," I told the others. There were a number of excited grins. No one liked Pansy Parkinson. I hummed thoughtfully as I stared at the bubotuber pus. "Actually, I might still do that."

"Make sure we're all around to see it," Ernie said.

Everyone at the table laughed. Save one person. "Tara, honestly," Hermione groaned.

Pansy Parkinson had been one of my least favorite students at Hogwarts since I had first started. She was a Slytherin in the same year as the rest of us and happened to be the girlfriend of Draco Malfoy. Not that it seemed to matter most of the time. That didn't seem to stop him from flirting with me or insulting her. Parkinson had been subjected to many of my pranks. I'd given her antlers during a deal in our Second Year and had also given her a black eye. Giving her a good curse might just have been the best way to start off a new year.

A booming bell echoed from the castle across the wet grounds, signaling the end of the lesson, and the class separated; the Hufflepuff's climbing the stone steps for Transfiguration, and the Gryffindor's heading in the other direction, down the sloping lawn toward Hagrid's small wooden cabin, which stood on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. I loved Care of Magical Creatures, but Hagrid teaching it did make me nervous. He didn't seem to understand which animals were best kept in textbooks and which were appropriate to actually bring to a classroom full of children.

Hagrid was standing outside his hut, one hand on the collar of his enormous black boarhound, Fang. I smiled at Fang. He had always been one of my favorite creatures in Hogwarts. There were several open wooden crates on the ground at his feet, and Fang was whimpering and straining at his collar, apparently keen to investigate the contents more closely. I groaned at the sight of them. It would be something dangerous, I was sure of it. As we drew nearer, an odd rattling noise reached my ears, punctuated by what sounded like minor explosions.

"Mornin'!" Hagrid said, grinning at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and me.

"Hi, Hagrid. How was your summer?" I chirped in response.

Hagrid released Fang, who immediately darted off toward us. I grunted in surprise as Fang threw himself onto me and tackled me to the ground, as he usually greeted me. I laughed along with Hagrid as I patted the boarhound. "No' bad. How was yours, Tara?" Hagrid asked as I managed to throw Fang off to the side.

"Pretty good! Saw the Quidditch World Cup," I said, getting back to my feet.

"Heard abou' that. Must've been somethin'," Hagrid said. I nodded my agreement, clutching my bag with the letter from Phil a little tighter. "Be'er wait fer the Slytherin's, they won' want ter miss this - Blast-Ended Skrewts!"

"Come again?" Ron said.

"What are those?" Hermione asked me.

"Not a clue," I said honestly.

If even Hermione didn't know, it was sure to have been one of Hagrid's newest creations. Which were never exactly fun to meet for the first time. I knew a lot about magical creatures, but I had never heard of something called a Blast-Ended Skrewt. At this point, I wasn't sure if I wanted to have ever heard of them. With my luck, they would be something dangerous and painful. I gave Hagrid a long look, hoping that he would say something about the newest additions, but he never did. Instead, Hagrid pointed down into the crates.

"Ugh!" Lavender Brown squealed, jumping backward.

'Ugh' just about summed up the Blast-Ended Skrewts in my opinion. They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. There were about a hundred of them in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes. They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small put, it would be propelled forward several inches.

As more sparks flew out of the end of one of the larger skrewt, I jumped back with Lavender. "Hagrid!" I gasped, looking up to him. He was grinning down at the skrewts. "What do you have these for?"

"On'y jus' hatched, so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves!" Hagrid said proudly. I forced a smile on my face. That meant another year of painful and embarrassing accidents in Care of Magical Creatures. "Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it!"

But I had never heard of these things before. Which could only mean... "Did - Did you breed these?" I asked Hagrid quietly.

"Sure did!" Hagrid said happily.

"Oh..." I muttered, staring down at the gross little blobs. "Well, they look lovely."

"Tara!" Harry hissed.

I turned to him with a shocked face. We all knew that Hagrid might have looked dangerous but he was a genuine softie. "Would you rather tell him that they look like a disgusting crossbreed that could kill us?" I asked Harry sharply.

"And why would we want to raise them?" asked an overly-familiar cold voice.

I'd almost forgotten that we were going to have to spend part of our morning with some of my least favorite people in Hogwarts. The Slytherin's had finally arrived. The speaker was Draco Malfoy. He was absolutely one of the worst people in Hogwarts. He made a habit out of insulting and harassing the people I cared for. Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words. Pansy Parkinson was a few feet behind him, looking at her quasi-boyfriend proudly. Hagrid looked stumped at the question.

"I mean, what do they do? What is the point of them?" Malfoy asked.

Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard; there was a few seconds' pause, then he said roughly, "Tha's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'rent things - I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer - I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake - just try 'em out with a bit of each."

"First pus and now this," Seamus muttered.

"Have you tried this yet, Hagrid?" I asked carefully.

Hagrid glanced up at me and shook his head. "Not yet," Hagrid said. I swallowed a lump in my throat. "Testin'."

It was a sure thing. We were all going to end up severely burned or lacerated by the end of the lesson. "Great," I groaned, dropping my voice to ensure that Hagrid couldn't hear me. "Sounds perfectly safe."

"It's like you've never been in Hogwarts before," Ron whispered back.

"Fair enough," I said.

Nothing but deep affection for Hagrid could have made Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I pick up squelchy handfuls of frog liver and lower them into the crates to tempt the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Well, the three of them were more lowering the frog livers in. I was standing back a few feet and tossing them in. I knew that Hagrid wouldn't say anything about my hesitance. Not after I had ridden Buckbeak first last year. But that had been fun. Today I couldn't suppress the suspicion that this whole thing was entirely pointless, because the skrewts didn't seem to have mouths.

"Ouch!" Dean Thomas yelled after about ten minutes. "It got me."

He was the next crate over from us. I darted off from my own and headed to his aide. Dean showed me his hand, which now had a disgusting burn over about half of it. He was going to have to go to the hospital unless he wanted that to become a permanent scar. In the meantime, I summoned an ice pack and held it over his hand. Hermione looked shocked that I had managed the Summoning Spell. I only knew it because it had been taught much earlier at Ilvermorny as it was considered an essential spell. Hagrid hurried over to us, looking anxious.

"You alright, Dean?" I asked, holding the ice pack against his hand.

"Damn these things," Dean hissed. "Thanks for the ice pack."

"You're welcome," I said, allowing him to hold it himself as I took a step back.

"Its end exploded!" Dean growled angrily, showing Hagrid the burn on his hand.

"Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off," Hagrid said awkwardly, nodding along.

"Uh... excuse me?" I asked curiously.

But Hagrid ignored me. "Ugh!" Lavender repeated. "Ugh, Hagrid, what's that pointy thing on it?"

"Ah, some of 'em have got stings," Hagrid said enthusiastically. Lavender quickly withdrew her hand from the box. I glanced back at the box and took a few more steps away. Maybe I would just take the failing grade for this lesson... "I reckon they're the males. The females've got sorta sucker things on their bellies... I think they might be ter suck blood."

"You think?" I asked, shocked.

"Haven't done much testin' on 'em," Hagrid admitted.

My mind flashed to Cedric's father, who worked for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hopefully, Cedric wouldn't repeat this one to his father... The Ministry certainly wouldn't like this. "You wonder why they insist on having a whole board on the control of magical creatures," I whispered to the others.

"Well, I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive. Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?" Malfoy asked sarcastically, causing the other Slytherin's to laugh.

"Just because they're not very pretty, it doesn't mean they're not useful. Dragon blood's amazingly magical, but you wouldn't want a dragon for a pet, would you?" Hermione snapped.

Harry, Ron, and I grinned at Hagrid, who gave us a furtive smile from behind his bushy beard. Hagrid would have liked nothing better than a pet dragon, as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I knew only too well - he had owned one for a brief period during our First Year, a vicious Norwegian Ridgeback by the name of Norbert. Hagrid simply loved monstrous creatures, the more lethal, the better. I grinned at the aghast look on Malfoy's face. He hadn't known how to react to her since she had slapped him last year. I was usually the one known for my physical attacks on him.

"Yes. Astounding how things the things we don't care for seem to always make their way into our lives," I said loudly, earning snickers from the Gryffindor's.

Malfoy whipped around to me. "Why you little -"

"Little what, Malfoy?" I interrupted sharply. He merely stared at me. "Your insults never seem to go much past that."

The class went silent. Our arguments always managed to work their way around the school within a few hours. I supposed that people found our constant battles somewhat interesting. They were kind of interesting, actually. We couldn't seem to get along for the life of us. Every time we took a step in the right direction (like the day he had been nice to me in the library last year) we seemed to take two more backward. It didn't even seem to be that we hated each other. It seemed to be much more in part because Malfoy hated my friends and I hated his.

The Slytherin's looked like they were planning on walking over to me. Malfoy held out a hand to stop them from taking matters into their own hands. I smirked at the look on Parkinson's face. She looked like she wanted to throw me into the box with the skrewts. The feelings were mutual. I watched slowly as Malfoy pulled out of the grip of some of his friends and walked over to me. With Hagrid momentarily back in his house finding more options for food for the skrewts, no one was around to stop us from arguing with each other.

I'd thought that Malfoy was going to stop a few feet away from me or maybe just let it go, but he surprised me when he waltzed straight up to me and wrapped a hand around my wrist. I stumbled back but Malfoy managed to yank me directly into him. Harry and Ron (and a few others) made to move forward but I put out an arm to stop them from advancing on us. I could handle my own battles with Malfoy. I always had been able to. Malfoy tightened his grip on my arm and dragged me off a few feet, at which point I ripped my arm out of his grasp.

"What the hell do you want?" I hissed, stepping back from him.

Malfoy stared at me for a long time. He looked down at my bag and grinned nastily. "That's a nice letter you got from your Quidditch player," he purred lowly.

My head snapped down to the bag. It wasn't hanging out. So, how did he know about the letter from Phil? "What, do you have an ankle monitor on me?" I growled. Malfoy's head tilted to the side slightly as he stared at me in confusion. "It's a Muggle thing. Essentially it means that you're keeping way too close of tabs on me."

His mouth set. "Bet your boyfriend would love to hear about that."

It was another one of Malfoy's many ways to get out of a conversation that I knew we were going to have to have one day. One day we were going to have to talk about this awkward relationship that we had. In private, sometimes it seemed like we could have been friends. We managed to get along with each other from time to time. But when we were around anyone else - namely our friends from our respective Houses - we were the worst of enemies. Our hatred of each other had only gotten worse with my relationship with Cedric. It didn't make sense.

Everyone else in the class was watching us closely so I dropped my voice to ensure that they couldn't hear me. "He knows about Phil Troy and his offer to talk to me about his workings in professional Quidditch," I told him, trying to accentuate the fact that we were talking about career paths and nothing more. "It's no big deal to anyone but you. I mean, you sound like a jealous girlfriend."

Malfoy's jaws set. "I am -"

"Are you?" I interrupted. His eyes widened. If we were ever going to have this conversation... well... no time like the present. "Jealous that someone else got to me first?"

There was a look on Malfoy's face that I couldn't quite place. Shock? Disgust? Surprise? He managed to recover a few seconds later. "Don't stroke yourself. I hate you," Malfoy said tersely.

But I was slowly growing to believe that he wasn't telling me the truth. I wasn't so sure that Malfoy really did hate me. After all, how many times had someone asked me whether or not Malfoy had feelings for me? Ron had definitely mentioned it more than once. Even Hermione had said something. The very thought disgusted Harry. But it was something that Cedric had once said to me that kept bouncing around my head. He once mentioned that I hadn't realized others had thought that I was pretty. I hadn't realized who he'd meant at the time. Was it possible he meant Malfoy?

Maybe there was a chance that he was talking about Malfoy. I knew that he had appreciated the kiss that I'd once accidentally received from him in the Slytherin Common Room. He had said as much. He had once saved me from a massive falling jar during a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson in Second Year. He had even briefly come to visit me in the hospital wing last year after an accident during Quidditch. He hadn't exactly been nice to me lately, but even I knew that he didn't hate me nearly as much as he hated the rest of my friends.

Actually, sometimes it seemed like he liked me more than he liked his own friends. I definitely didn't think that he hated me. I was more convinced that he disliked the fact that he didn't hate me. It was certain that he was annoyed by that fact. I stared at Malfoy for a long time before deciding to test my theory. I gave him a teasing smile and stepped into his torso, laying my hand against his chest. Much to my surprise, he gave what appeared to be an almost involuntary step back into me. I grinned again and shoved him backward roughly. He stumbled away from me.

He was staring at me like I had broken him out of a trance. "You hate me, huh?" I asked playfully.

There were a lot of interesting looks being passed around. The Slytherin's looked horrified at the change of pace. I noticed that Pansy Parkinson was giving me a look that could kill. I turned and winked at her, likely only upsetting her even more. Malfoy was still staring at me dumbly. It looked like he still didn't know what to do. At the moment, I didn't really know what to do either. I had just made a very awkward discovery about the feelings that Malfoy might have had for me and now I would have to deal with them.

But that would be another problem for another day. Malfoy continued to stare at me as I turned and walked away, cackling with glee. Maybe he really did hate me and maybe he didn't, but it didn't really matter to me right now. I knew, for that brief moment, he didn't hate me. For that brief moment, he had wanted me. I walked back over to my friends and took my place working with the skrewts again. I was happy to mess with Malfoy, who spent the rest of the lesson looking back and forth between me and the skrewts. I noticed that he didn't make another snide remark.

My little act had definitely thrown off his game. He wouldn't be getting it back anytime soon. It didn't look like it. Not the way that he was growling conspiratorially with his fellow Slytherin students. They kept looking back and forth between me and their leader. I made it a point to never actually meet his eyes. I knew that it was annoying him that I had acted on a brief impulse and was now ignoring him. He was being affected by this much more than I was. I was determined to focus all of my energy on trying not to get burned the skrewts.

"Well, at least the skrewts are small," Ron said quietly as we made our way back up to the castle for lunch an hour later.

Thankfully the Slytherin's were far ahead of us. They had torn off as soon as the class was over. Probably plotting to make my life miserable. "They are now, but once Hagrid's found out what they eat, I expect they'll be six feet long," Hermione said in an exasperated voice.

"Can we not go there?" I groaned.

We could deal with the skrewts in a few weeks. Right now, I had bigger things on my mind. "Well, that won't matter if they turn out to cure seasickness or something, will it?" Ron said, grinning slyly at her.

"You know perfectly well I only said that to shut Malfoy up. As a matter of fact, I think he's right," Hermione said. My mouth dropped open. Even if Malfoy was right, there was absolutely no way that I would ever admit it. I was surprised that Hermione would. "The best thing to do would be to stamp on the lot of them before they start attacking us all."

"Not a bad idea," I conceded quietly.

"What did he say to you, Tara?" Harry asked suddenly, speaking for the first time in a long time. He had been oddly silent since the letters had come in this morning. "When he brought the two of you off to the side?"

I shrugged. "Same old. You know, he brings me off to the side and threatens me for a second but somehow still can't manage to go through with it," I told him.

Harry looked at me disbelievingly. "You looked like you were about to -"

"I was just messing with him," I interrupted. We'd been there and done that with the whole kissing Malfoy situation. I wasn't fond of repeating it. "He's a moron. And apparently romantically confused."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Don't worry about it," I said, waving him off.

They didn't need to know what we had said to each other. I knew that it would just stir up an argument. Hermione would think that I was childish for doing it, Ron would argue that I might have given Malfoy hope, and Harry would just spend the next two weeks complaining about Malfoy and his potential feelings for me. The four of us sat down at the Gryffindor table and helped ourselves to lamb chops and potatoes. Not my favorite meal, but I supposed that it would do. Hermione began to eat so fast that Harry, Ron, and I stared at her.

She couldn't have been worried about homework this soon into the year... I exchanged a look with Harry and Ron, shrugging at them to show that I was just as confused as they were. "Er - is this the new stand on elf rights? You're going to make yourself puke instead?" Ron finally asked her.

"No," Hermione said, with as much dignity as she could muster with her mouth bulging with sprouts. "I just want to get to the library."

"What?" Ron asked her in disbelief. "Hermione - it's the first day back! We haven't even got homework yet!"

Hermione shrugged and continued to shovel down her food as though she had not eaten for days. Then she leaped to her feet, said, "See you at dinner!" and departed at high speed.

We weren't the only ones to watch her run from the Great Hall. I shrugged at the boys again and went back to my meal. She would figure things out eventually. I could only assume that she was trying to see what she could do about house-elf rights, since starving herself was clearly not the way to go about it. There was only one person that she was hurting by doing that. Even though I went back to my meal once Hermione had darted off, Ron and Harry were still watching me, as if waiting for me to explain what was going on with her.

"She's probably researching what she can do with house-elf rights," I told them.

"She's nuts," Ron said, aghast.

"You're just now noticing that?" I asked him.

We all laughed into our goblets. We sat together in silence for a while when Cedric dropped into Hermione's recently vacated seat. He looked over at the boys. "Hi, Ron, Harry," Cedric said, giving them a small smile.

"Hey, Cedric," Harry and Ron replied together.

Cedric smiled at them again before turning to me. "Can I borrow you for a moment?" he asked.

"No," I said immediately.

Cedric gave a disbelieving laugh as I stared at him with a straight face. I wasn't going with him that easily. "I'll do your Astronomy homework," Cedric said slowly, giving me a knowing smile.

"Sold," I gasped happily, turning to Ron and Harry. "See you later, guys."

Everyone at the table laughed as I jumped up and joined Cedric on a walk, grabbing my things and throwing them over my shoulder. Knowing us, I wouldn't be back before class. Cedric grabbed my hand as we walked off together. I smiled up at him as he pressed a kiss into my hairline. I was actually wondering if he was really telling me the truth. Was he actually going to do my Astronomy homework for me? If he did that, it would only leave me any Divination homework we might get, which had long since become my least favorite class.

"Are you going to actually do my homework?" I asked him suddenly.

Cedric's head snapped down to mine as we wandered into the courtyard. He snorted under his breath. "You're a terrible student," Cedric said. I glared at him. "Do your homework."

"You offered!" I gasped.

"I just needed you to get up and come with me," Cedric pointed out.

Here I had been so excited to have no Astronomy homework... "Dirty liar," I growled at him. We both laughed as Cedric gave me a gentle nudge. I really didn't want to do that... Since he had messed with me, I was going to mess with him. I pushed up onto my tiptoes to smile at him. "Well, you've got me. What are you going to do with me now?" Cedric stared down at me, grinning madly. My face instantly turned beet red as I realized what my words had doubled as. "One of these days I'll learn to stop saying things like that."

Cedric grinned again. "No, you won't."

"Thanks for the faith," I snorted.

"Who said I wanted you to stop?" Cedric said quietly.

There went another one of those comments that sounded like I could have made them. I smiled at him, laughing as Cedric threw an arm over my shoulder, pulling me into him. We were both laughing quietly as we wandered further from the front doors. A few people were glancing over at us and smiling as we passed. It was something that I had noticed. People seemed to have started liking me a lot more since I had started dating Cedric. It was an effect that he had on almost everyone. No one genuinely hated him. I smiled again as Cedric pulled me out into the middle of the courtyard.

We stumbled out into the leaves and I grinned up at the warm sky. It wouldn't be long before the weather took a nasty dive into the fall and winter months. "Any particular reason that we're out here?" I asked, tugging at the belt loops on Cedric's pants.

He laughed as he stumbled into me. "Actually, yes. You're good at Potions," Cedric said. I nodded my agreement, loosening my grip on him slightly. "Do you happen to know anything about brewing a Polyjuice Potion?"

We stared at each other for a moment before I cracked a grin. He knew that I had used it before in my Second Year. He knew that I knew exactly how to make and use the Polyjuice Potion. "You're an ass," I said, shoving him gently. Cedric laughed as he stumbled back and then waltzed back up to my side. "What do you need to know?"

"The direction in our textbook isn't great. Which book did you use?" Cedric asked.

I thought about it for a moment before remembering. "Moste Potente Potions. It's in the Restricted Section, though. If you want to get it out, you'll probably need Snape to give you a note," I explained.

Cedric nodded thoughtfully. "Should I even ask how you managed to get it?"

"You really want to know?" I asked.

He might have enjoyed the story of exactly how moronic Gilderoy Lockhart was. "Well... no. Actually, no. I genuinely don't want to know how you four managed to get that book," Cedric said, shaking his head.

"It was legal," I argued, which it actually had been.

"Was it?" Cedric asked disbelievingly.

"Of course. You think that I would dare do something illegal?" I asked haughtily.

"Shut up," Cedric snapped.

He was rolling his eyes at me as I laughed again. The question of whether or not I would ever do something illegal was moronic. I spent most of my life doing illegal things. Cedric wrapped an arm around my back and pulled me in for a kiss. Momentarily forgetting just how open and not-private this area was, I smiled into the kiss and wrapped my arms over the back of his neck. He placed his hands on my hips as he gently stepped into me, pushing me back until my spine was pressed up against the well in the middle of the courtyard.

We were together for a long time before a stern voice ripped through the peaceful air. "Nox! Diggory!" I pulled my hands up to Cedric's chest and shoved him back, turning my head to smile guiltily at Professor McGonagall, who was watching us with an irritated glare. "Do I need to remind the two of you about our excessive displays of affection rules?"

"No, ma'am," we both said awkwardly.

"Back to class, you two," Professor McGonagall barked.

"Yes, ma'am," we both said again.

Snorting under our breath, we turned and walked back toward the castle, laughing. Once we were out of earshot of Professor McGonagall, I leaned into Cedric and shoved him to the side. "Look at you. Getting me in trouble. Traitor," I snapped.

Cedric stared at me. "You massive pain in the ass."

"Now that's rude," I said.

We laughed again as Cedric grabbed my hip and shoved me again. I giggled madly as I nearly tripped over my own shoes. Once I had regained my balance, I made a quick move to run off but Cedric managed to grab me from behind and pull me into him. I began laughing stupidly as the two of us twirled around together in the leaves. He stopped spinning us long enough to pull me in for a kiss. We had barely met lips when there was some laughter from the other side of the courtyard. We pulled apart to see some of Cedric's friends watching us.

Cedric cleared his throat and stepped back, still keeping an arm over my shoulder. "Guys," Cedric greeted them.

It was Jonathan, Ted, and Aaron - three of Cedric's many friends. They were in his year and had never been anything but nice to me. "Sorry to interrupt," Jonathan said, looking not sorry at all. "But Madam Pomfrey won't be happy if you're late because -"

"Hi Ted," I said awkwardly, running my hand through my hair. "How are you?"

"Pretty good, Tara. How about you?" Ted asked.

"She looks just fine," Aaron teased.

My face turned beet red. I cleared my throat and turned to Cedric, giving him an even stare. "On that note, I believe that it's time for me to head to Divination. Wish me luck," I told the boys.

"You'll need all the luck in the cosmos for that one," Jonathan snorted.

"True. Bye," I told Cedric.

"See you at dinner," he replied.

We exchanged a quick kiss (I was very grateful that his friends only let out tiny laughs) and I waved goodbye to Cedric's friends before turning and heading back into the castle. All of the students were filing out of the Great Hall from lunch and headed to their own classes. I headed straight for the staircase to head to Divination, waving to a few of my friends from Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw. I stopped very briefly to say hello to Hermione, who was heading to her own section of Ancient Runes. Eventually, I caught up with Harry and Ron on the stairs.

"Boys," I greeted, jumping in between them.

Harry and Ron turned back and smiled at me. "Where were you?" Harry asked, his gaze quickly turning suspicious.

"Front courtyard talking to Cedric and some of his friends," I explained simply. They both nodded. "You know that we apparently go over the Polyjuice Potion in Sixth Year?"

"Finally, something we'll be good at," Ron said, grinning madly.

My gaze narrowed. How much work had he actually done? "You will be good at, Ron?" I asked disbelievingly. "You'll still need to study, by the way. It was Hermione and I who did most of the work, just so you remember."

"Shut up," Ron snapped, embarrassed.

When the bell rang to signal the start of afternoon lessons, we continued moving along, getting hit by the throng of people who were attempting to get to their own classes. Harry, Ron, and I set off for North Tower where, at the top of a tightly spiraling staircase, a silver stepladder led to a circular trapdoor in the ceiling and the room where Professor Trelawney lived. I absolutely hated climbing through that ladder. Each time I did, I had some type of horrifying death or devastating loss or something of the likes.

The familiar sweet perfume spreading from the fire met my nostrils as we emerged at the top of the stepladder. I groaned and tossed my head back. I would have a headache from the perfume within minutes. As ever, the curtains were all closed; the circular room was bathed in a dim reddish light cast by the many lamps, which were all draped with scarves and shawls. Harry, Ron, and I walked through the mass of occupied chintz chairs and poufs that cluttered the room and sat down at the same small circular table.

As I sat on my pouf, waiting for Professor Trelawney to show up, I put my head in my hands and stared at the cloth-covered table. "I can't believe I didn't drop this class," I pouted.

"That makes two of us," Harry groaned.

"You don't have enough extracurricular classes, you moron. You _can't_ drop this class. You won't have enough credits to graduate," I snapped.

Harry whipped around to me. "What?"

My eyes rolled so far back into my head that I thought they would get stuck there. "You really need to pay more attention," I told him. Harry scowled at me. "You can't start dropping classes until you're to O.W.L. level."

"Good day," said the misty voice of Professor Trelawney right behind me, making me jump.

A very thin woman with enormous glasses that made her eyes appear far too large for her face, Professor Trelawney was peering down at Harry and me with the tragic expression she always wore whenever she saw us. I rolled my eyes and laid my head down in my hands. We were surely in for another day of Professor Trelawney telling us every miserable possible way that we might die. I glanced up at her briefly and tried to force a smile on my face. Maybe she'd take it easy on us today. The usual large amount of beads, chains, and bangles glittered upon her person in the firelight.

"You are preoccupied, my dear," Professor Trelawney said mournfully to Harry. "My inner eye sees past your brave face to the troubled soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas... most difficult... I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass... and perhaps sooner than you think..." Her gaze tilted slightly to meet mine. _Here we go_. "And you, my dear... your difficulties are barely beginning... true horror awaits you... tragic loss..."

Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry and me, both of us who looked stonily back. At least she hadn't predicted my death. Just a bunch of horror and misery. Maybe we were starting to improve. Slowly but surely. Professor Trelawney swept past us and seated herself in a large winged armchair before the fire, facing the class. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who deeply admired Professor Trelawney, were sitting on poufs very close to her. I kicked my feet up into Harry's lap as I threw my head back.

"Tragic? The fact that I'll have to sit through this class for another year," I muttered to them.

Harry and Ron both snorted, hiding their heads in their arms to keep Professor Trelawney from hearing them. "My dears, it is time for us to consider the stars," Professor Trelawney said airily. "The movements of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal only to those who understand the steps of the celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary rays, which intermingle..."

But my thoughts had long since drifted. The perfumed fire always made me feel sleepy and dull-witted, and Professor Trelawney's rambling talks on fortune-telling never held me exactly spellbound. I hated listening to her. She just rambled on and on about things I couldn't even begin to care about or attempt to understand. I could see that Ron and Harry shared my sentiments - as did most of the class. Everyone seemed about ready to fall asleep. Though I couldn't help thinking about what she had just said to us.

"I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass...'"

But Hermione was right, I thought irritably, Professor Trelawney really was an old fraud. I wasn't dreading anything at the moment at all... Perhaps with the exception that I was going to have to sit in Divination all semester - and at least for the next few years. Nothing to fear at the moment. At least, unless you counted my fears that Sirius had been caught. But what did Professor Trelawney know? She had no idea that Sirius was still on the run and that he was in contact with Harry and myself. She couldn't have known. We had never spoken about it aloud while in Hogwarts.

My mind fluttered back to the other thing she had mentioned. The idea that I might end up suffering some kind of tragic loss and witness real horror. The only tragic loss would be my sanity after another year of this - something absolutely horrifying. But my mind once again fluttered back to Sirius. Could she have meant him? Were we going to lose Sirius? I couldn't handle that. No... Of course not. She was a crackpot. I had long since come to the conclusion that her brand of fortunetelling was really no more than lucky guesswork and a spooky manner.

Except, of course, for that time at the end of last term, when she had made the prediction about Voldemort rising again... and Dumbledore himself had said that he thought that trance had been genuine when Harry had described it to him. At least Voldemort hadn't risen quite yet. It had instead been his loyal follower, an ex-friend of our parents' - Peter Pettigrew. He had managed to escape that night and was still on the run. I was just hoping that he was hiding out until he died rather than attempting to help Voldemort rise again, as I had been having nightmares about lately.

"Harry! Tara!" Ron muttered.

"What?" Harry asked.

My head slowly rose from the table. We had both been lost in our own heads. I looked around; the whole class was staring at the two of us. I swallowed some bile that had risen in my throat. Thinking about Sirius and Pettigrew got me a little wound up sometimes. The very thought of what was coming made my heart race and a thin veil of sweat break out on my forehead. I sat up straight; I had been almost dozing off, lost in the heat and my thoughts. Professor Trelawney looked slightly annoyed that we had been half-asleep during her lecture.

"I was saying, my dear, that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn," Professor Trelawney said, a faint note of resentment in her voice at the fact that he had obviously not been hanging on her words.

"Born under - what, sorry?" Harry asked dumbly.

"Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!" Professor Trelawney said loudly, sounding definitely irritated that he wasn't riveted by that news. "I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birth. Your dark hair... your mean stature... tragic losses so young in life... I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in midwinter?"

"No, I was born in July," Harry said.

Ron and I both hastily turned our laughs into hacking coughs. Lavender and Parvati looked fully scandalized. I spent most of the lesson reflecting on Professor Trelawney's words - halfway between waking life and sleeping. Some kind of tragic loss. The only loss that I was suffering here that was tragic was all of the sufferings I was going through just sitting in this class. This entire thing was a massive waste of time. For just a brief moment, I wished that I had listened to Hermione and dropped Divination. At least I could have had a free period...

Half an hour later, each of us had been given a complicated circular chart and was attempting to fill in the position of the planets at their moment of birth. Staring at the chart for nearly five minutes, I was about halfway convinced that I should just fill it in with a bunch of random junk. Chances were that I would at least get a halfway decent grade. Filling out the positioning of the planet was dull work, requiring much consultation of timetables and calculation of angles - things that I wasn't quite in the mood to do yet. I wasn't fully over my summer brain.

"I've got two Neptune's here, that can't be right, can it?" Harry asked after a while, frowning down at his piece of parchment.

"Aaaaah, when two Neptune's appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, Harry..." Ron said, imitating Professor Trelawney's mystical whisper.

Seamus and Dean, who were working nearby, sniggered loudly. Harry, Ron, and I barked out laughter, putting our heads into our arms to keep from getting caught by Professor Trelawney. Once we had looked back up, Harry glanced over to my paper. "What did you get, Tara?" he asked.

I glanced down at my paper. It was mostly filled with nonsense and still half-empty. "Who the hell knows? I'm planning on asking Cedric. He's been through this before," I said honestly.

If there was anything that Cedric was good for, it was getting him to help me with my homework. He had been through all of the same classes that I had and had managed to pass them all. He frequently gave me his old Divination homework since we both knew that it was a waste of time and didn't really require studying. He couldn't use the excuse that I was cheating either. I knew that he had cheated on his homework two years ago. I pushed my parchment off to the side in annoyance and grinned at Ron and Harry. They were always annoyed that I had Cedric to help.

Our laughter wasn't nearly loud enough to mask the excited squeals from Lavender Brown. "Oh Professor, look! I think I've got an unexpected planet! Oh, which one's that, Professor?"

"It is Uranus, my dear," Professor Trelawney said, peering down at the chart.

"Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?" Ron asked teasingly.

A bit of bile built up in my throat as I whacked him on the shoulder. Lavender and Parvati scowled at him as the boys in the class began laughing. "You're disgusting," I told Ron, who shrugged. "Although, even I have to appreciate that quick wit."

Most unfortunately, Professor Trelawney heard him. She spent the next ten minutes lecturing us about the way that we spoke to our fellow classmates and how it could affect our aura - or something like that. I had tuned out long before. It wasn't just the lecture that she assigned. Ron's unwarranted comment to Lavender, perhaps, was what made her give us so much homework at the end of the class. The longer that she spoke, the further that my jaw began to hang. It was more than even Snape assigned most of the time.

"A detailed analysis of the way the planetary movements in the coming month will affect you, with reference to your personal chart," Professor Trelawney snapped, sounding much more like Professor McGonagall than her usual airy-fairy self. I wasn't the only one to look shocked. That would take us all weekend. "I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses!"

As we rose to our feet to head out, I whacked Ron over the back of the head. "Nice one, asshole," I snarled. He at least had the decency to look ashamed.

"Miserable old bat," Ron said bitterly as we joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner. "That'll take all weekend, that will..."

"It was your fault!" I barked. "We wouldn't have had anything if you'd just held your tongue."

"You're one to talk," Ron muttered.

"Lots of homework?" Hermione asked brightly, catching up with us. "Professor Vector didn't give us any at all!"

"Well, bully for Professor Vector," Ron said moodily.

"At least I have that much to look forward to later," I said somewhat happily. But Snape would likely counteract that. "As for the homework, ask genius over here."

"It wasn't my fault!" Ron yelped.

"You're the only person who could be at fault for that one!" I yelled back.

The two of us scowled at each other as we headed toward the grand staircase. As I hit the top step, Cedric appeared over my shoulder. "You don't look happy," he commented.

"Ron managed to get us a stupid amount of homework from Professor Trelawney," I growled irritably. Ron nodded. "You know how much I love Divination. I just don't get that goddamn class. I suck at it."

Cedric laid a hand across my back comfortingly. "You're not a Seer. Few people are."

"Doesn't help that I've now got at least a day's worth of homework ahead of me," I mumbled.

"How about I make it worth it?" Cedric offered.

A devious smile appeared on the corners of my mouth. "Oh. I'm intrigued," I said, turning around and walking backward away from him. "Tell me how you could make it worth it."

Harry and Ron groaned in disgust. Hermione glanced over and gave me a wry smile. She knew that I was only joking. Harry looked the slightest bit irritated at my insinuation, even though he knew it was a lie. I laughed at the boys and leaned over, whacking them over the back of the heads as I bounced back in step with Cedric. He wrapped an arm over my shoulder. Our large group reached the entrance hall shortly after, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. We had just joined the end of the line when a loud voice rang out behind us.

"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"

Interrupting a rather riveting conversation with Cedric about whether or not I would actually take up Phil Troy on his offer to give my name to the professional Quidditch recruiters during the Third Task, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I turned. Cedric stopped just ahead of us to turn back and see what was happening. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something. I rolled my eyes at him. Hadn't we already been through his obligatory daily harassment? My hands landed on my hips.

"You've got to be kidding me," I growled, staring at them.

"What?" Ron asked shortly.

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" Malfoy yelled, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. "Listen to this! Further Mistakes at the Ministry of Magic. It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."

My mind was stuck on the paragraph that Malfoy was reading. I didn't generally read the Prophet so I didn't usually care what it had to say. But something did strike me as a little odd. Dad had been mentioned in the first article by Skeeter last week. Why hadn't he been mentioned this time? Was it because he had better connections than Mr. Weasley? Or, perhaps, just because he was from a more powerful family. I shifted awkwardly. It was just another case of uptown-downtown with our families. Malfoy looked up, grinning deviously.

"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?" Malfoy crowed.

"You want another black eye, Malfoy? Drop the fucking paper," I warned, stepping forward. Malfoy's eyes darkened to near-blackness. He had never liked my enjoyment of profanity. My teeth ground together as I pulled out of Cedric's grip. "No one's laughing, tough guy."

The two of us were going to end up actually killing each other one day. There was no doubt in my mind at the moment. Not with the way that we had been acting lately. Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Most of the Fourth-Year Gryffindor class stood just behind us. Malfoy scowled at me, looking as if he wished the air around me was poisonous. Cedric grabbed me around the waist - likely well aware that I was about to attack him - and stared coldly at Malfoy. Malfoy, in turn, straightened the paper with a flourish and read on:

"Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers ('policemen') over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of 'Mad-Eye' Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene.

"And there's a picture, Weasley!" Malfoy continued gleefully, flipping the paper over and holding it up. "A picture of your parents outside their house - if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

That was going too far. Did we really have to talk about each other's parents? "Yeah? Your father could do with a bit of a backbone, couldn't he? Or was that not him in the masks at the Quidditch World Cup?" I said loudly. There were mutters and gasps from all over the entrance hall. Malfoy's face drained of color. I continued, ensuring that everyone could hear me. "Not because he cares for it. Just because he's afraid of him. Right?"

"Want to say that again?" Malfoy hissed.

His hands clenched in the shape of fists. Likely the same ones that wanted to wrap around my throat. As usual, Cedric took a protective stance in front of me. "Step back, Draco. No one's impressed," Cedric warned quietly.

The entire entrance hall was watching in horror. People knew that it was only going to be so long before we all started fighting. It was a well-known fact that Malfoy and all of my friends hated each other. Me, at least, I was in an odd situation. I wasn't sure just how much I hated him or how much he hated me. One moment, we seemed to be friends. The next moment, it seemed like we were the worst of enemies. Although our relationship was a perfect example of love-hate, Ron's and Malfoy's wasn't. Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy," Harry snapped. "C'mon, Ron..."

"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter? So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?" Malfoy sneered.

For a moment I thought that Ron would actually kill Malfoy. I would have cheered him on at this point. "You know your mother, Malfoy?" Harry asked - both he and Hermione had grabbed the back of Ron's robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy. I stood back, hoping they would lose their grip on Ron and let him attack Malfoy. "That expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"

Malfoy's pale face went slightly pink. I grinned at Harry. I'd always hated the way that Malfoy spoke to everyone. The simple fact that he was going as far as insulting someone's mother? That was disgusting. I knew that Harry would have never normally insulted someone's mother, especially because of the simple fact that he'd never had his own. But Malfoy had started it by commenting on Mrs. Weasley's figure. There was a tense muttering throughout the crowd. I wondered if the rest of the Weasley siblings would hear about his last comment and kill him themselves.

"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter," Malfoy warned darkly.

"Keep your fat mouth shut, then," Harry said, turning away.

At that same moment, there was a deafening bang. "Harry!" I gasped.

Several people screamed. I whirled around in horror. What the hell had that been? I'd just barely felt something white-hot pass at my side. It appeared that the same thing had grazed the side of Harry's face. Malfoy had attempted to attack Harry for what he'd said, while his back was turned, no less. A cowardly thing to do. Harry plunged his hand into his robes for his wand, but before he'd even touched it, we all heard a second loud bang (which definitely wasn't from Malfoy), and a roar that echoed through the entrance hall.

"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"

Every person standing in the entrance hall spun around. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing. My hand slapped itself over my mouth. There was no way. There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle. Moody turned to look at Harry - at least, his normal eye was looking at Harry; the other one was pointing into the back of his head.

"I'll teach you to curse someone when their back is turned! Did he get you?" Moody growled.

Professor Moody's voice was low and gravelly. As he appeared to be relaxing slightly, a wave of laughter erupted throughout the entrance hall as people finally began to understand what had just happened. Malfoy had finally gotten what he deserved. I grinned madly at the sight of the ferret. This was certainly a moment that I would never forget. Cedric was shaking with laughter, trying and failing to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. Even some of the Slytherin's appeared to be having a hard time keeping their trademark sneers on their faces.

"No, missed," Harry finally answered Moody.

"LEAVE IT!" Moody shouted.

"Leave - what?" Harry asked, looking quite bewildered.

"Not you - him!" Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret.

It seemed that Moody's rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head. That was an interesting observation. It meant that I would have to be careful with what I said whenever Moody was in the area. Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking toward the dungeons. I looked across the entrance hall at Ted and nodded. Ted and some of Cedric's Hufflepuff friends took a step in front of the ferret, cutting off its path, forcing it to turn back toward Moody.

"I don't think so!" Moody roared, pointing his wand at the ferret again - it flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more. "I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned."

Moody continued growling angrily as he bounced the ferret higher and higher, which was squealing in pain. For just a moment, I almost felt guilty for what was happening to Malfoy. He certainly deserved to be turned into a ferret. I would have loved to see him get stuck like that. But I didn't want to see him get seriously hurt. Especially not by a grown man - and a teacher, at that. Shouldn't he have known that this was a little much? I had never seen a punishment like this before. Filch certainly threatened it enough but I had never really seen him follow through with it.

"Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do..." Moody continued.

The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly. My foot moved on its own accord toward the ferret but a tugging sensation in my chest stopped me. It was almost as if someone was telling me not to go to it. To look for something else... Something else? What else? My eyes scanned the courtyard, but I couldn't find it. What was I supposed to be looking for? How had that thought even entered my mind? I glanced around me again, but everyone was laughing. No one else even looked moderately concerned. Not the way I was.

"Never - do - that - again -" Moody said, breaking my train of thought, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again.

"Professor Moody!" a shocked voice shouted.

Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books. She looked absolutely horrified at the sight of Moody and the ferret. Most of the students on her side of the hall separated to let her through. While most people would have bowed down at the sight of an angry Professor McGonagall, Moody acted as though he had barely heard her. The laughter instantly stopped. Some people fled to the Great Hall for fear that they would get in trouble for laughing along.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," Moody greeted calmly, bouncing the ferret still higher.

"What - What are you doing?" Professor McGonagall asked, her eyes following the bouncing ferret's progress through the air.

"Teaching," Moody answered.

"Teach - Moody, is that a student?" Professor McGonagall shrieked, the books spilling out of her arms.

"Technically it's a ferret," Moody said.

Moody didn't bother looking at Professor McGonagall once through their conversation. I stared in surprise as he simply continued bouncing the ferret up and down, no longer smacking it down on the ground. The smile returned to my face a moment later as Moody raised the ferret and tossed it over to Crabbe. He stumbled back as the ferret slid down the front of Crabbe's pants. Ignoring the potential of getting in trouble with Professor McGonagall for our childish behavior, everyone in the entrance hall began roaring with laughter again.

Goyle ran after the panicking Crabbe, who was swatting at his pants, trying to get the ferret out. "Stand still! Stand still!"

"No!" Professor McGonagall cried, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand.

The ferret slid down out of Crabbe's pants and started off back toward the courtyard. We all laughed at the look of shock on Crabbe and Goyle's faces - both of whom had apparently been bitten by their friend. Moody turned back and sent Harry and me a wink with his normal eye. We both laughed even louder. A moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. I snorted at the sight of him. He got to his feet, wincing.

"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!" Professor McGonagall yelled loudly. "Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?"

"He might've mentioned it, yeah," Moody said, scratching his chin unconcernedly, "but I thought a good sharp shock -"

"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of House!" Professor McGonagall barked.

"I'll do that, then," Moody said, staring at Malfoy with great dislike.

Malfoy's gaze slowly turned around the entrance hall, realizing just how many people had been watching the entire thing happen. His gaze eventually landed on me. For just a brief second, my minimal pity for him returned. It was gone within an instant. I gave him a slight smirk, smiling gleefully at the look on his face. He turned away from me immediately after. Malfoy, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, looked malevolently up at Moody and muttered something in which the words 'my father' were distinguishable.

"Oh yeah?" Moody warned quietly, limping forward a few steps, the dull clunk of his wooden leg echoing around the hall. "Is that a threat? Well, I know your father of old, boy." His voice began rising. "You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son... you tell him that from me. Now, your Head of House will be Snape, will it?"

"Yes," Malfoy muttered resentfully.

"Another old friend. I've been looking forward to a chat with old Snape. Come on, you," Moody growled.

And then Moody seized Malfoy's upper arm and marched him off toward the dungeons. The entire time he was yelling at Malfoy about how attacking someone when their back was turned was a lowly and cowardly thing to do. I also thought that I might have heard Moody threatening to give Malfoy something to tell his father about. Professor McGonagall stared anxiously after them for a few moments, then waved her wand at her fallen books, causing them to soar up into the air and back into her arms, nudging everyone to get dinner.

As we walked through the entrance hall and into the Great Hall, I smiled happily, looking up at the enchanted ceiling. "Okay. I've got a new favorite teacher," I told Cedric, who was walking at my side.

"You'll never forget that one, will you?" Cedric asked, grinning.

"Never. That'll be etched into my brain permanently," I said honestly. Cedric laughed under his breath. I threw my head back and smiled. Malfoy would have no permanent injuries. Save maybe a paralyzing fear of ferrets. To his body, at least. His pride? That was another matter. "What a great way to start the first day of school. Have you had Moody yet?"

"Had him earlier today," Cedric answered.

"What was he like?" I asked curiously.

"Fascinating. You can tell that he's seen so much and done so many different things in his life. He's a little intense. In fact, he's a little frightening. I don't know if he's the best person to be teaching children. I don't think he knows the difference between a young adult and a fully-grown Auror," Cedric admitted. I raised a brow curiously. "But, I don't know, I doubt that there are many better people to have to teach us."

"That's an interesting outlook. I'm looking forward to having him," I said honestly.

"Might I suggest that you not speak out during his class and get yourself into trouble?" Cedric teased.

"I'll work on it," I said.

"No, you won't," Cedric reasoned.

"No, I won't," I agreed. We both laughed as Cedric threw an arm over my shoulder and pulled me toward the Gryffindor table. His friends at his own table were calling for him. "I'd stay and chat for a while longer but I'm really hungry."

Cedric nodded. "Agreed. See you later."

The two of us both smiled at each other. I laughed under my breath as Cedric wrapped a hand around my possessively and yanked me into him. I leaned up and pressed a long kiss against his mouth before walking off. Even without turning back, I knew that he was watching me with a wide grin. Harry and Ron groaned in disgust as Hermione gave me a brilliant smile. She had never known how I managed to be as bold as I was. Honestly, half of the time I didn't even know how I was as bold as I was.

As I walked off, I could hear Cedric's friends laughing and making comments in the background. They were talking about us (obviously) and wondering just how much time we were spending in the broom closets. I should have known that those comments were coming. When I finally risked a glance back at him, I gave an extremely obvious wink, stalking back to the Gryffindor table. I could see that Cedric's face was turning slightly red. I smiled, loving those moments when I was actually the one who got the chance to embarrass him.

"Don't talk to me," Ron said quietly to Harry, Hermione, and I as we sat down at the Gryffindor table, surrounded by excited talk on all sides about what had just happened.

"Why not?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever," Ron told her, his eyes closed and an uplifted expression on his face. "Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret."

Harry, Hermione, and I all laughed, and Hermione began doling beef casserole onto each of our plates. She made sure to shut me up before I said anything about her being the mother. I leaned back in my chair and starting downing dinner, risking a glance at Malfoy out of the corner of my eyes. He was muttering conspiratorially with Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy Parkinson was hanging over his shoulder, appearing to be doting on him. He stopped talking as his eyes shot up to mine. I instantly looked away. I wasn't sure what was wrong with me. I should have been hysterically laughing.

"He could have really hurt Malfoy, though," Hermione said, becoming a welcome distraction from my thoughts. "It was good, really, that Professor McGonagall stopped it -"

"Hermione!" Ron gasped furiously, his eyes snapping open again. "You're ruining the best moment of my life!"

Hermione made an impatient noise and began to eat at top speed again. I stared at her curiously. It didn't take long for food to begin to run down her chin. I groaned in disgust as I exchanged a look with Ron and Harry, silently begging them to get her to stop eating the way that she was. Neither one of them seemed to know what to do, though. They merely stared at her. I rolled my eyes and instead threw myself over Hermione's shoulders. She stared at me like I was nuts as I began laughing, motioning over to the Slytherin table.

"Come on. That was so funny," I told her. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Malfoy's going to be terrified of ferrets for the rest of his life. Won't that make a great story years from now when we're looking back on this time fondly?"

"Don't tell me you're going back to the library this evening?" Harry asked, watching her eat.

"Got to," Hermione said thickly. "Loads to do."

"But you told us Professor Vector -"

"It's not schoolwork," Hermione interrupted Harry.

"House-elf crap," I told them.

Hermione gave me a sharp scowl as I grinned at her. None of the four of us spoke much over the next few minutes. I was quite enamored with watching Hermione eat her food at top-speed. It made me almost curious to know what she was doing with the house-elves. Was she really managing to figure that much out? Within five minutes, she had cleared her plate and departed. She didn't even bother saying goodbye. No sooner had she gone than her seat was taken by Fred Weasley, who took the now-empty spot at my side.

"Freddie," I greeted.

"Loser," Fred responded, barely looking at me.

"Thanks," I huffed.

Fred grinned and reached over to ruffle my hair. I rolled my eyes and shoved him off of me. "Moody! How cool is he?" Fred said.

"Beyond cool," George said, sitting down opposite Fred.

"Super cool," added the twins' best friend, Lee Jordan, sliding into the seat beside George.

"Hey, Lee," I greeted.

"Hey, Tara. We had him this afternoon," Lee told us.

They must have had Moody at the same time as Cedric. "What was it like?" Harry asked eagerly.

Fred, George, and Lee exchanged looks full of meaning. I raised a brow, curious if they thought the same thing about the lesson as Cedric had. "Never had a lesson like it," Fred said.

"He knows, man," Lee said.

"Knows what?" Ron asked, leaning forward.

"Knows what it's like to be out there doing it," George said impressively.

"Doing what?" Harry asked.

"Fighting the Dark Arts," Fred said.

"He's seen it all," George said.

"Amazing," Lee said.

The three of them grinned madly as I turned to them. "How'd you like him?" I asked them. All three of the boys smiled happily. "Cedric said that he was incredible but a little scary."

Fred was the first to roll his eyes. "Because Diggory always -"

Before Fred got the chance to finish his thoughts, he let out a pained grunt. I jumped back slightly, wondering what was wrong with him. Judging by the looks on their faces, I assumed that Lee was just as confused as I was and that Fred was angry with George for stepping on his foot. Why all of that had happened was another question entirely. Fred's voice had long since died and he was now staring at his twin brother in annoyance. I glanced between them confusedly. What the hell had just happened between them?

"What're you two -?"

"Nothing," Fred and George interrupted together.

"Okay," I said slowly.

It would be another question for another day. In the meantime, Ron dived into his bag for his schedule. "We haven't got him till Thursday!" he said in a disappointed voice.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _During the first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with Moody, Tara and the other students are shocked to discover that they will be learning the Unforgivable Curses._ Ferret Malfoy will always be my favorite Malfoy. Sorry about the long wait! I got a little tied up with work and other things and lost a bit of motivation. But I'm back! Hopefully you guys liked this one. Thanks for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Ghostie1701: So do I! I'm always so happy to get back to Hogwarts. Oh man, I love John Williams' score. Sometimes I listen to it while writing. I'm really glad you're enjoying Tara and Cedric's moments! They're always fun to write. Trust me when I say that she'll be proud - for a while, at least. It's never fun listening to the conversations about the risk of the Triwizard Tournament when you know what's coming! Ron vs. Harry is definitely going to play a big role in this book! It won't be always super nice. And Rita Skeeter... well, Tara will definitely have words with her. Hope you liked this one!**

 **pottersimpala67: I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter! I love the alone time with Tara and Cedric. It definitely gives me good chances to expand both of their characters. Colin's crush on her was actually originally a last-minute addition to the story so I'm glad that someone appreciates it! Moody's first lesson will be interesting. Having her tell her parents? I hadn't thought about that. That's interesting. I'll have to think about that. Tara will definitely have a good time with Hermione/Viktor/Ron. I'm ready for it! Hope you liked this one!**

 **Vincent FGS91: Hope you liked this one! It's a good time to start looking a little more closely. You'll start picking up on things if you look close enough, trust me!**

 **Dove Salvatore 21051: Thank you! I really hope you liked this one! Sorry it took a long time, I just didn't know quite where I wanted things to go in this one. Thanks for reading!**

 **CupcakeLoopy: As for Tara becoming a champion, that's going to be a secret. But I promise that I always have a reason for doing the things that I do in my stories, whether or not people always like them. Each thing Tara goes through is vital for her development - whether or not it's something that's also shared with another character. As for who Cedric would rescue if not her? Well, that's an interesting question! Hope you liked this one!**


	14. The Unforgivable Curses

The following two days passed without great incident unless you counted Neville melting his sixth cauldron in Potions. Professor Snape, who seemed to have attained new levels of vindictiveness over the summer, gave Neville detention, and Neville returned from it in a state of nervous collapse, having been made to disembowel a barrel full of horned toads. It took almost the entire Gryffindor Fourth Year class to reassure him that we would take care of any future toad-disembowelment that we might face in Potions.

From what Cedric had told me last night at dinner, apparently, it wasn't just our class that Snape was treating even worse than normal. He had told me that apparently, Snape had given almost everyone in his class detention within the first two days of classes. Even Cedric had been given one for pushing out his chair too loudly in the middle of his lesson. It definitely hadn't made me feel too great about my first day of Potions. But I had gotten off relatively unscathed. Instead, it was Neville who had gotten the brunt of his nasty attitude.

"You know why Snape's in such a foul mood, don't you?" Ron said to Harry and me as we watched Hermione teaching Neville a Scouring Charm to remove the frog guts from under his fingernails.

"Yeah. Moody," Harry said.

It was common knowledge that Snape really wanted the Dark Arts job, and he had now failed to get it for the fourth year running. Snape had disliked all of our previous Dark Arts teachers, and shown it - but he seemed strangely wary of displaying overt animosity to Mad-Eye Moody. Indeed, whenever I saw the two of them together - at mealtimes, or when they passed in the corridors - I had a distinct impression that Snape was avoiding Moody's eye, whether magical or normal. Not that I blamed him. No one seemed to seek out a conversation with Moody.

"I wonder why Dumbledore won't give Snape the Defense Against the Dark Arts job?" I said.

"Maybe he doesn't know that Snape wants it?" Harry offered.

"Don't be stupid," I said. Snape might as well have had a neon sign advertising his desperation for the position. "He knows. Everyone knows. But he's keeping him in the Potions position for a reason."

"What do you think?" Hermione asked from her spot with Neville.

"If I had to take a guess? Probably because Dumbledore wants to trust Snape, but I doubt that he does. Put him too close to the Dark Arts... I don't know. Maybe he thinks he'll be drawn back in?" I tried.

"That's as good a reason as any," Ron huffed.

"I reckon Snape's a bit scared of him, you know," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Moody?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah," Harry said.

As much as I hated Snape, I couldn't blame him. I was slightly afraid of Moody. "Imagine if Moody turned Snape into a horned toad and bounced him all around his dungeon..." Ron said, his eyes misting over.

"Imagine if Moody turns you into a fruit fly," I snapped.

Ron flushed slightly. "Shut up, Tara."

Malfoy might not have been my favorite person in the world, but that didn't mean I wanted to see him hurt. Especially by a teacher, who should have been trying to protect us. Most of the Gryffindor Fourth Years had been looking forward to Defense Against the Dark Arts since that incident. I wasn't looking forward to it, but I still arrived early on Thursday with everyone else just after lunchtime and queued up outside his classroom before the bell had even rung. The only person missing was Hermione, who turned up just in time for the lesson.

"Been in the -"

"Library," Harry finished her sentence for her. "C'mon, quick, or we won't get decent seats."

Everyone was shifting around excitedly outside Moody's door. I glanced around at the others nervously. Was I really the only one who wasn't looking forward to this? I had been excited earlier, but now there was something about the upcoming lesson - and its teacher - that set off the alarm bells in my head. Something just didn't seem right with Moody. He didn't seem to be his usual nervous self. He seemed to be a little more maniacal now. I was unnaturally quiet as the kids started entering the classroom. My newfound silence was noticed by everyone.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

"Huh?" I mumbled, looking over at him. "Yeah. I'm great."

Harry nodded blankly. "Are you sure?"

Was it worth saying something to him? Or, was he just going to think that I was overreacting again? "Does something seem a little off about Moody to you?" I asked, deciding to just go for it.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "He turned Malfoy into a ferret for a few minutes," Harry argued, smiling happily at the memory. "Yeah, I think he's a little unconventional but I also think he's one of the best teachers we'll ever have."

"Maybe that's true," I admitted. "But this seems wrong. He seems wrong."

Harry looked quite surprised at my statement. "Have you ever actually met him?"

The party had been years ago and we had been meters away from each other, but he had made a lasting impression. "Once very briefly when I was little. It was at a distance," I admitted. Harry didn't look the slightest bit convinced that I knew what I was talking about. "But this still seems weird with his personality. He was more... twitchy. He seems oddly calm."

My arguments were weak at best. "Maybe he just needed to get back into it," Harry suggested.

"We'll see," I said carelessly.

"Relax, Tara," Harry said, resting a hand on my shoulder. "He's -"

"Just a teacher?" I offered. Teachers at Hogwarts were some of the reasons that I had as many trust issues as I did. "All three of them have attempted to kill us so far - granted, one of them was on accident. But we're batting three-for-three right now."

Harry was silent for a long time. I hoped that he was thinking about what I had told him. We didn't have a good track record when it came to the teachers who filled the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Quirrell had actually had Voldemort buried in the back of his head and had tried to murder us down in the dungeons at the end of First Year. Lockhart had tried to erase our memories and frame us - leaving Ginny to die - at the end of Second Year. Remus Lupin - as wonderful as he was - had tried to kill us in his werewolf form in our Third Year.

Granted, that one had been an accident, but it still counted. All three of our past teachers had tried to kill us. Would this one be any different? I didn't think so. "Cheerful thoughts," Harry teased.

"They're honest though," I told him.

Together we hurried into four chairs right in front of the teacher's desk, much to my displeasure, took out our copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, and waited, unusually quiet. There was almost no chatter in the room. Not even from the Slytherin's, who usually spent the beginning of a lesson picking on the Gryffindor's. Soon we heard Moody's distinctive clunking footsteps coming down the corridor and he entered the room, looking as strange and frightening as ever. I could just see his clawed, wooden foot protruding from underneath his robes.

"You can put those away, those books," Moody growled, stomping over to his desk and sitting down. "You won't need them."

It took everyone a moment to actually put their books away. I exchanged a quick look with Seamus, who was sitting across from me on the other side of the room. He shrugged and tossed his book into his bag. I slowly slipped my book into my messenger bag. Last year Professor Lupin had asked us to put our books away and had given us a practical lesson on Boggarts. I had a feeling that this wouldn't be quite as amusing as that lesson had been. Everyone quickly returned the books to their bags, Ron and most of the rest of the students looking excited.

"You okay?" Hermione whispered to me.

"I wouldn't talk in here if I were you," I whispered back, still staring up at Moody's desk.

Judging by the slight twitch of Moody's brow, I assumed that he had heard me. I shifted awkwardly in my chair, focusing my gaze instead down on the grain of the wood desk. Out of the corner of my eyes, I watched as Moody took out a register, shook his long mane of grizzled gray hair out of his twisted and scarred face, and began to call out names, his normal eye moving steadily down the list while his magical eye swiveled around, fixing upon each student as he or she answered. I tensed slightly as he made it to the N's.

He didn't even say my name. His full gaze instead lifted to meet mine. "Good to see you again, Nox," Moody said slowly.

I was startled but managed to force out, "You as well, M - Professor."

We spent a long time just staring at each other. I didn't know what else I was supposed to say, but the stare that Moody was giving me told me that he was expecting something else. I was more focused on his voice. There was something almost sinister in it. Almost as if he was challenging me to say anything about my very obvious distrust of him. He wasn't the man that I had seen once before. I stared at Moody for a while longer before nodding. A shiver shot up my spine. It was like his magical eye was looking straight into my core. I was more than grateful when he finally looked away.

It didn't help that everyone was staring at me. "Right then, I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class," Moody said when the last person had declared themselves present. Thankfully, everyone had now turned back to him. "Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures - you've covered Boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that right?"

There was a general murmur of assent. I said nothing, instead, thinking on his words for a long time. Even Remus had written him a letter about what we had studied? It meant that at least someone outside of the castle knew what was going on. Remus had once told me that I could write to him whenever something was wrong or if I needed anything. I could ask him what was going on. I could ask him just how much he knew about Moody. I could ask him if things seemed a little off to him because they definitely seemed off to me.

Sticking out of the corner of my messenger bag was a blank piece of parchment. I stared down at it for a long time, debating on whether or not to pull it out. I wanted to write my letter but I knew that I couldn't do it here. It would be way too big of a risk. I couldn't write a letter asking if Moody was insane with him standing mere feet away from me. He could end up seeing the letter. I wouldn't do it now but I would do it later. I had to say something about him to someone later. Someone that I trusted but someone who was out of Moody's reach. Remus would be perfect.

"But you're behind - very behind - on dealing with curses," Moody continued, breaking me from my thoughts. "So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark -"

"What, aren't you staying?" Ron blurted out.

Moody's magical eye spun around to stare at Ron. I swallowed thickly as I slowly turned to him. Ron looked extremely apprehensive with Moody's gaze on him, but after a moment Moody smiled - the first time I had seen him do so. The effect was to make his heavily scarred face look more twisted and contorted than ever, but it was nevertheless good to know that he ever did anything as friendly as smile. Although there was a slight twisting in my gut as I noticed that the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Ron, on the other hand, looked deeply relieved.

"You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh?" Moody asked. Ron nodded awkwardly. "Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago... Yeah, I'm staying just the one year. Special favor to Dumbledore... One year, and then back to my quiet retirement."

Back to his quiet retirement? Since when had Moody ever really had a quiet retirement? It seemed that the people at the Ministry were always talking to him or about him. They regularly stayed in contact with him. And what was the favor he owed Dumbledore? Moody gave a harsh laugh that chilled me to my core and then clapped his gnarled hands together.

Before he could continue speaking, I asked, "I thought you still worked on cases from your home?"

The entire class snapped to look at me. Hermione slapped my leg somewhat painfully. "Tara!" she hissed.

You could have heard a pin drop in the classroom as Moody slowly turned to meet my eyes. "You're as inquisitive as your mother," Moody said. I narrowed my eyes at his seemingly threatening comment. "That's a dangerous trait to have."

"When used in the wrong manner," I answered before thinking better of it.

Hermione twitched so intensely that I thought she would fall from her chair. Moody's lips tilted up into a slight smile. "And as foolhardy as your father," he continued.

"I've always admired that about him," I said.

 _Shut up, Tara!_ I knew that I needed to stop. It was obvious by the way the rest of the class was watching our exchange in horror. Even I couldn't believe that I had just said what I had. What an idiot I was being. I knew that Moody wouldn't appreciate being interrupted or challenged the way that I just had. I knew how foolish I was being. I knew that Moody could rip me in half. But he didn't seem upset. His eyes and lips actually tilted up in something that looked like a moderately amused smile. I was extremely relieved when he finally looked away from me.

"So - straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you counter-curses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the Sixth Year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves, he reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking."

Lavender jumped and blushed. Everyone turned back to see what she had been doing. She looked mortified. She had been showing Parvati her completed horoscope under the desk. At least someone had finished their work. The entire class was watching tensely as they realized what had just happened. Apparently, Moody's magical eye could see through solid wood, as well as out of the back of his head. He had turned back to the chalkboard and was now scribbling away furiously.

"You need to find somewhere else to put your chewing gum other than the underside of your desk, Mr. Finnigan!" Moody continued furiously.

Again, the entire class jumped, whipping back around to see Seamus shooting up from sticking his gum underneath his desk. "Aw, no way, the old codger can see out the back of his head," Seamus groaned.

Moody turned from writing out the three Unforgivable Curses to chuck the chalk across the classroom and nearly hit Seamus. Everyone ducked out of the way just in time to keep from getting hit with it. Seamus now looked extremely concerned. In fact, everyone did. Moody continued on with his berating, yelling at what appeared to be at the top of his lungs.

"I can hear across classrooms!" Moody shouted deafeningly. My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head from how wide they were opened. Moody was silent for a moment before continuing, much more calmly this time. "When it comes to the Dark Arts, I believe in a practical approach. But first, which of you can tell me how many Unforgivable Curses there are?"

"Three, sir," Hermione said gently.

"And they are so named?" Moody asked.

"Because they are unforgivable," Hermione continued. "Use of any one of them will -"

"Will earn you a one-way ticket to Azkaban. Correct," Moody said, finishing writing on the board. He turned back to the class. "So... do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?"

Several hands rose tentatively into the air, including Ron's and Hermione's. I stared at him for a long time, unsure whether or not I wanted to admit it. I had a feeling that most of the students in the room (save most of the Muggle-Born's) would know what they were. Even Harry knew one of them. But no one really ever liked to openly talk about them. Moody eventually pointed at Ron, though his magical eye was still fixed on Lavender. Much to my surprise, his magical eye swiveled over to fixate on me. I straightened up slightly, refusing to look afraid.

"Nothing to say, Nox?" Moody asked, his body still turned toward Ron.

"You and I both know that I know them all," I said daringly.

Moody very slowly turned so that the rest of his body was facing me. His extended his arms slightly. "Would you like to tell the class?" he asked.

I swallowed thickly. "Not particularly. There's a reason that they're Unforgivable and that we're not supposed to learn about them until we're in Sixth Year," I answered.

Moody grinned somewhat nastily. This lesson seemed so wrong. Why were we learning about them? "So, which curse shall we see first?" Moody asked, turning again. "Weasley!"

Ron jumped about a foot in the air. "Yes?"

"Give us a curse," Moody prompted.

"Er, my dad told me about one..." Ron said tentatively. He could barely meet Moody's eyes. Moody hummed, nodding for him to continue. "Is it called the Imperius Curse, or something?"

"Ah, yes. Your father would know that one. Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse," Moody said appreciatively. It was the least lethal of the Unforgivable Curses, but no less repulsive. "Perhaps this will show you why."

Moody turned from the board and straightened up heavily to his mismatched feet, opened his desk drawer, and took out a glass jar. Everyone leaned forward slightly to see what he had in there. There was a collective gasp from the classroom as one of their greatest fears had now come into the classroom. No one particularly liked them. There was one large black spider scuttling around inside the glass jar. I could feel Ron recoil slightly next to me. Ron hated spiders of all types. Even Hermione and Harry stiffened slightly.

"Hello," Moody said, fingering around the spider. "What a little beauty."

Something about the upcoming demonstration was already bothering me. Moody was treating the spider as if it were a friend, yet he was about to do one of the most monstrous things someone could do to another living being. Even using an Unforgivable Curse on animals were considered to be cruel. Moody reached fully into the jar, caught the struggling spider, and held it in the palm of his hand so that we could all see it. I shifted back in my seat slightly, not prepared for whatever was about to come. I had never seen one of the spells performed in person.

Moody then pointed his wand at the spider and muttered, "Imperio!"

There was some gasping as the spider gave a slight shudder, rising up into the air along with the movements from Moody's wand. He flicked the spider off to the side and onto Neville and Dean's desk near the front of the room. Both boys jumped backward in surprise. About half of the class was giggling at the sight of the powerless spider. But I wasn't. Neither was Hermione. Apparently, she was one of the only other students to really understand what was going on. Moody shifted his hand upward again and tossed the spider onto Crabbe's head.

"Don't worry," Moody said reassuringly as Crabbe poked at his head, looking horrified. "Completely harmless."

Crabbe was still gasping as Moody raised the spider up again off his head, over Blaise's shoulders, and onto Parvati's desk. She slid back in her seat as the spider crawled over her hand and arm. A moment later, Moody raised the spider up in the air again. The class was clearly unsettled but most of the people in the room were laughing. I, on the other hand, watched the scene in horror. I knew that the spider wasn't a person, but that didn't make a difference to me. This was horrifying. That spell had been used on people before. It had driven some people to do unspeakable acts.

"But if she bites... she's lethal!" Moody continued.

Moody raised the spider up again and brought it back to the front of the room. I jumped backward in my seat slightly as the spider hovered over Ron's head for a moment. He was groaning in horror as Moody released his grip on the spider and allowed it to fall onto Ron's head. Ron himself looked like he was about to pass out. Moody was laughing maniacally, as was most of the class. But one person was laughing louder than almost anyone else. Draco Malfoy, who was sitting on the other end of our table.

"What are you laughing at?" Moody howled at Malfoy.

Moody sent the spider straight onto Malfoy's face. It landed over his nose as he immediately pedaled backward in fear. The class roared in laughter. Even I cracked the slightest smile at the look on Malfoy's face. He was yelling to Goyle to get the spider off of his face, but Goyle didn't appear to have the slightest idea of what to do. At my table, Ron was laughing with glee while Harry clapped like a moron. Hermione was the only other person in the classroom that didn't appear to be having a good time.

"Think it's funny, do you?" Moody growled at the class.

Moody pulled the spider back toward himself and allowed it to fall into his open hand. The spider jerked around for a moment before leaping from Moody's hand on a fine thread of silk and then began swinging backward and forward as though on a trapeze. It stretched out its legs rigidly, then did a back flip, breaking the thread and landing on the desk, where it began to cartwheel in circles. Moody jerked his wand, and the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into what was unmistakably a tap dance. At this point, everyone was laughing - everyone except Moody.

He had a vague smile on his face but didn't look amused. "Stop," I demanded, speaking over the roar of laughter.

The laughter in the classroom died instantly. The air quickly turned awkward as gazes shot in between myself and Moody. He flicked the spider over to a glass in the far corner of the room. It landed on the circular mirror, stumbling slightly. I straightened up as the class turned to look at me. Their gazes were still shooting between the two of us, even though neither of us had spoken yet. Moody eventually raised the spider back off of the class and dropped it onto my desk. Hermione watched, looking just as upset as I was about this, but definitely not like she was planning on saying anything.

"Bother you, does it?" Moody finally asked me.

I swallowed the nerves that had lodged themselves in my throat. "To seek control of a creature weaker than yourself? Manipulate it like a puppet for amusement?" I asked, pointing to the clearly dazed spider. "Yes. It bothers me."

"Cowardly to manipulate someone into doing something for your own amusement? For your own purposes? What is the difference between this and manipulating someone into admitting the information you needed?" Moody asked.

Any argument that I had thought of had died right there on my tongue. There was something in the way that he was staring at me... It was like we were the only two people in the room. Everyone else melted away as our eyes locked together. Something about the way that he was speaking to me had set me off. Something was wrong here. Something told me that he was referencing something that I had once done. Something that had exactly explained what he'd just said and contradicted what I had said earlier.

Was there some way that he was actually referencing the incident with the Polyjuice Potion in our Second Year when we had used it against Malfoy to find out who the Heir of Slytherin was? There was no way. Absolutely not. How would he have even known about that? We hadn't ever told anyone about it, save Malfoy, who certainly wouldn't have told Moody about it. How else would he have known? He hadn't been around my parents since I'd been in my Second Year and my parents would have never repeated me doing something like that anyway. We had all kept it between ourselves.

There was an eerie silence that was echoing through the class. I wasn't sure what we were supposed to do next. The brief spout of bravery that had struck long enough for me to snap at Moody had long since dissipated. At this point, I was just hoping that he wouldn't kill me for daring to speak out against him. Moody eventually raised the spider up into the air again and smacked straight against Malfoy's face, just as he had done earlier. The class began howling with laughter again. It felt like someone had lifted a weight from off of my chest as Moody broke his stare with me.

"You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?" Moody howled at the other students.

The laughter died away almost instantly. I almost wanted to say something so that the other students in the class would understand why I had so suddenly said something. It might have looked rather comical, but it wasn't. Moody was taking away any free will on the spider's behalf. If he could do that much with a spider, wouldn't he have been able to do the same with a full-grown person? With no one laughing anymore, the class had fallen into an eerie silence as Moody paced back and forth along the front of the classroom.

"Talented, isn't she? What should I make her do next?" No one answered the obviously rhetorical question. "Total control," Moody continued quietly as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats..."

Ron gave an involuntary shudder. My own throat started closing up at the thought of someone force-feeding someone else a spider. Or something even worse. It was a disgusting thought. The class began shifting awkwardly and, if I was correct, guiltily. We had all just been laughing at the idea of a living creature being controlled against their will. But we had thought nothing of it because it was a spider and hadn't done anything horrible. If nothing else, I supposed that Moody had gotten his point across.

"Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse," Moody said. Everyone in the room knew that he was talking about the days in which Voldemort had been all-powerful. I shuddered slightly. "Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will. The Imperius Curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Once again, everyone jumped. Moody was certainly one of the most startling people I had ever met. He certainly had a flair for the dramatic. He slowly strode back and forth around the front of the classroom, looking at each student. Most of them flitted their gazes away the moment he looked at them. Eventually, Moody walked back toward the desk, picked up the somersaulting spider and threw it back into the jar. I had almost forgotten about the spider.

"Anyone else know one?" Moody asked, shattering the tense silence. "Another illegal curse?"

For a moment, no one moved. I certainly wasn't going to move. I had no interest in saying anything. Much to my surprise, Malfoy didn't even offer the next curse. I knew he would have known them all perfectly well. Eventually, Hermione's hand flew into the air again and so, to my slight surprise, did Neville's. The only class in which Neville usually volunteered information was Herbology which was easily his best subject. Neville looked surprised at his own daring. Every eye in the class shot over to Neville.

"Yes?" Moody asked quietly, his magical eye rolling right over to fix on Neville.

"There's one - the Cruciatus Curse," Neville said in a small but distinct voice.

My stomach churned in knots. This was the one curse that I hadn't been looking forward to seeing. At least the Imperius Curse wasn't always despicable to watch. The Killing Curse was fast and over with in seconds. But the Cruciatus Curse was drawn out. We would have to watch someone be slowly tortured. If it was anything like what I had experienced back at the World Cup, I didn't want to see anyone suffer through it. Not even a spider. By now, Moody was looking very intently at Neville, this time with both eyes.

"Your name's Longbottom?" Moody asked, his magical eye swooping down to check the register again.

Neville nodded nervously, but Moody made no further inquiries. Most of the students in the class swiveled back around to look at the front of the blackboard. The conversation had taken a relatively nasty turn. No one wanted to see what was about to go on. Turning back to the class at large, Moody reached into the jar for the spider again and placed it upon the desktop, where it remained motionless, apparently too scared to move. Part of me so desperately wanted to jump up and save the helpless little creature.

"The Cruciatus Curse. Correct! Correct!" Moody said, almost a little too happily. "Particularly nasty. The torture curse. Needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea." I raised a brow curiously as he pointed his wand at the spider. " _Engorgio_!"

The spider swelled. The larger it got, the more I began to realize that it was shrieking in what I assumed was pain. I cringed slightly and turned away from Moody. When I looked back I saw that the once-tiny spider was now larger than a tarantula. Abandoning all pretense, Ron pushed his chair backward, as far away from Moody's desk as possible. He wasn't the only one. A number of the students in the class were just as afraid of spiders as Ron was. Most of them looked ready to sprint from the room.

Ignoring the nervously shifting students, Moody raised his wand again, pointed it at the spider, and muttered, " _Crucio_!"

At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but I was sure that if it could have given voice, it would have been screaming. It reminded me very much of the way that I had felt when the curse had hit me back at the World Cup. Was it really the Cruciatus Curse that had hit me? I looked back at the spider, running my hands over my arms to stop the chills. Moody did not remove his wand and the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently.

"Stop it!" Hermione yelled shrilly.

Everyone in the class whirled around to her. No one had ever heard Hermione yell at a teacher. She hadn't even really yelled when she had up and walked out of Professor Trelawney's class last year. I looked around at her. She was looking, not at the spider, but at Neville. I followed her gaze and saw that Neville's hands were clenched upon the desk in front of him, his knuckles white, his eyes wide and horrified. Neville was always a little shaky, but this was something else. Moody raised his wand. The spider's legs relaxed, but it continued to twitch.

" _Reducio_ ," Moody muttered, and the spider shrank back to its proper size. He put it back into the jar. It was then that I realized that I had actually been panting. In fear or anxiety, I supposed. "Pain. You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse... That one was very popular once too. Right... anyone know any others?"

"What does it feel like?" I interrupted before anyone could give him the Killing Curse.

Now the class was looking at me. My face reddened slightly but I didn't back down. I wanted to know. Was that what had happened to me? Moody turned to me slowly, his interest piqued. "Miss Nox?" Moody asked.

"What does it feel like?" I repeated, trying to hold as steady as possible. "Being hit by the curse?"

"When cast successfully the curse inflicts intense, excruciating pain on the victim," Moody said quietly. I twitched slightly. It had definitely been excruciating. "While the curse does not physically harm the victim, it does stimulate the pain receptors. The pain is said to be worse than one thousand white-hot knives, boring into the skin. Well beyond what most people will ever experience." It seemed like Moody was done speaking, but he continued. "Curious to know what someone would feel if you were to use it?"

"Is it that easy?" I asked, motioning to the still-twitching spider.

"Depends on the person," Moody said, shrugging his shoulders carelessly. "If you mean it."

"What?" I asked.

What was that supposed to mean? If you meant it? Moody didn't answer me. Instead, he merely stared at me, giving me a very slight smile. Our little stare-off didn't seem to have any end in sight. At least, that was until Malfoy swiveled around in his chair and kicked me in the leg. I jumped and groaned, leaning down against my desk, feeling my leg throb in pain. I looked back up to Malfoy to either give him a very rude gesture or say something nasty, but he was already looking back at the board. I scowled at the back of his head. What the hell was the kick for?

It was a long time before Moody finally looked away from me, seemingly unaware of what had just happened between Malfoy and myself. Once he had, he repeated his previous question asking for the final Unforgivable Curse. I looked around curiously. From the looks on everyone's faces, I guessed that they were all wondering what was going to happen to the spider now. Were they all wondering if Moody was really about to kill the spider, just as I was? Hermione's hand shook slightly as, for the third time, she raised it into the air.

"Yes?" Moody asked, looking at her.

" _Avada Kedavra_ ," Hermione whispered.

Several people looked uneasily around at her, including Ron. Even Malfoy looked the slightest bit put-off by the fact that she'd said the words out loud. I turned to her very slowly. I hadn't expected anyone to actually say that. I'd thought that this was something Moody would need to say for himself. Harry glanced over at me and I nodded. It was the curse that had killed Harry's parents and so many others. And now Moody was... was he really going to show off the Killing Curse in a class with children in it?

"Ah," Moody grumbled quietly, another slight smile twisting his lopsided mouth. "Yes, the last and worst. _Avada Kedavra_... the Killing Curse."

Moody put his hand into the glass jar, and almost as though it knew what was coming, the spider scuttled frantically around the bottom of the jar, trying to evade Moody's fingers, but he trapped it and placed it upon the desktop. It started to scuttle frantically across the wooden surface. I backed into the chair as far as I could go, but it didn't matter. We were all going to be stuck having to watch it. Everyone in the room looked about ready to throw up. Moody raised his wand, and I felt a sudden - and rather disgusting - thrill of foreboding.

" _Avada Kedavra_!" Moody roared.

There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air - instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead. Its legs were curled in on itself, a surefire sign that the spider was gone. Several of the students stifled cries; Ron had thrown himself backward and almost toppled off his seat as the spider skidded toward him. It was only then that I realized that my legs were trembling slightly. Moody swept the dead spider off the desk onto the floor.

"Not nice. Not pleasant. And there's no countercurse. There's no blocking it," Moody said calmly as if he hadn't just murdered a living creature in front of a bunch of students. "Only one known person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me."

Barely risking a glance off to the side, I saw Harry's face redden as Moody's eyes (both of them) looked into his own. Everyone else was looking around at him too. Harry stared at the blank blackboard as though fascinated by it, but clearly not really seeing it at all. His eyes had a slight glaze in them, the same that I was sure my own had. So that was how his parents had died... exactly like that spider. Almost the way my own parents had died... It wasn't what I had expected. Not brutal or loud or bloody and disgusting. Just... quick and perhaps even painless.

Honestly, it was almost underwhelming. It was nothing like I had initially been expecting. I wondered if it was the same for everyone. Did they all fall to the ground looking like porcelain statues? Like sleep had just taken over them? Like they would wake at any moment with no memory of what had happened? Had Harry's parents been unblemished and unmarked too? Had they simply seen the flash of green light and heard the rush of speeding death, before life was wiped from their bodies? Did they have a chance to even realize what was about to happen to them?

My concern then shot over to Harry. His forehead was breaking out in a thin sweat. This was something that I knew we would have to talk about eventually. Harry had once confided in me that he had been picturing his parents' deaths over and over again for three years now, ever since he'd found out they had been murdered, ever since he'd found out what had happened that night: to try and save his own life, Wormtail had betrayed his parents' whereabouts to Voldemort, (and my own in the process) who had come to find them at their cottage.

His dreams often centered around what we knew about that night. How Voldemort had killed Harry's father first. How James Potter had tried to hold him off while he shouted at his wife to take Harry and run... Voldemort had advanced on Lily Potter, told her to move aside so that he could kill Harry... how she had begged him to kill her instead, refused to stop shielding her son... and so Voldemort had murdered her too, before turning his wand on Harry. Only the spell rebounding from Harry had kept him from advancing to my home and doing the same to my family.

Harry had known those details because he had heard his parents' voices when he had fought the Dementors last year - for that was the terrible power of the Dementors: to force their victims to relive the worst memories of their lives, and drown, powerless, in their own despair. It was my own battles with the Dementors that had shown me how angry my parents were with Wormtail after discovering that he had given them up to Voldemort - having been convinced to give their secret location to Wormtail rather than Remus Lupin.

As I stared at the corpse of the spider, I saw a brilliant flash of green light in my vision. There was a slight hint of red - two little beads - in the blazing green light. I wasn't really sure what it was. Was I finally really remembering the night that Voldemort had tried to kill my parents? I didn't know. All I knew was that I could hear screaming in the background. There seemed to be hundreds of voices in the background yelling at each other. My head was throbbing painfully as I tried to throw myself back into the lesson with great effort.

My head was spinning and for a brief moment, I thought I would vomit. Hermione's hand laid itself on my shoulder and I managed to shake my head clear of the fog that had built up in my mind. Hermione looked concerned about me but I shook her off. _That_ would be a problem for another time. Moody was speaking again, from a great distance, it seemed to me. It seemed like I was listening to him from underwater. With a massive effort, I finally pulled myself back to the present and listened to what Moody was saying.

"Avada Kedavra is a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it - you could all get your wands out now and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed. But that doesn't matter. I'm not here to teach you how to do it. Now, if there's no countercurse, why am I showing you? Because you've got to know. You've got to appreciate what the worst is. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you're facing it. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody roared, and the whole class jumped again.

While everyone tried to gather themselves from Moody's sudden outburst, I was hung up on his previous statement. Appreciate it? Appreciate any of those things? I was disgusted by the very thought. Moody looked excited at the prospect of using the curses, almost manic. I listened to him as he spoke, wondering how he could sound so thrilled by the very thought of the Unforgivable Curses. Wondering why he was staring at me, almost as if to dare me to say anything against him. It was becoming very clear very quickly that we didn't like each other.

"Now... those three curses - Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus - are known as the Unforgivable Curses," Moody continued, drawing my attention back to the lesson. "The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. That's what you're up against. That's what I've got to teach you to fight. You need preparing. You need arming. But most of all, you need to practice constant, never-ceasing vigilance. Get out your quills... copy this down..."

We spent the rest of the lesson taking notes on each of the Unforgivable Curses. Moody seemed to have calmed down slightly since originally showing us the Unforgivable Curses. But my eyes remained locked on the dead spider for most of the lesson. I knew enough about these curses. I wasn't particularly interested in learning more. No one spoke until the bell rang - but when Moody had dismissed us and we had left the classroom, a torrent of talk burst forth. Most people were discussing the curses in awed voices.

"Did you see it twitch?"

"- and when he killed it - just like that!"

They were talking about the lesson as though it had been some sort of spectacular show, but I hadn't found it very entertaining - and nor, it seemed, had Hermione or Harry. We were some of the few people who weren't talking about the demonstration of the curses. The Slytherin's perhaps looked the least affected, but even some of them looked a bit nauseated. Perhaps because their own parents had been users of the curses - or subjected to them if they had performed poorly for Voldemort during his reign.

"Hurry up," Hermione said tensely to Harry, Ron, and I.

I figured that she wanted to get as far away from Moody as quickly as possible. I didn't blame her in the slightest. So did I. "Not the ruddy library again?" Ron asked.

"No," Hermione said curtly, pointing up a side passage. "Neville."

We all turned back to see what she was talking about. Neville was standing alone, halfway up the passage, staring at the stone wall opposite him with the same horrified, wide-eyed look he had worn when Moody had demonstrated the Cruciatus Curse. What was wrong with him? I had known Neville for years. Usually, when he was afraid, he got shaky and stammered a lot as he darted away from the crowd. This was something else. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. The four of us slowly advanced on her.

"Neville?" Hermione said gently.

It was as if we had barely spoken to him. It took him a long time to even react. I was about to place my hand on his shoulder when Neville looked around. It took another few moments for him to glance up and look us in the eyes. I tried to give him a slight smile but it still didn't seem to be doing anything. He looked as though someone had smashed him over the side of the head with a hammer. From what I could tell, he wasn't going to be back to his normal self for a long while.

"Oh, hello," Neville said, his voice much higher than usual. "Interesting lesson, wasn't it? I wonder what's for dinner, I'm - I'm starving, aren't you?"

"Neville, are you all right?" Hermione asked.

"Oh yes, I'm fine," Neville gabbled in the same unnaturally high voice. "Very interesting dinner - I mean lesson - what's for eating?"

"Neville, are you sure you're okay?" I asked.

Ron gave the three of us a startled look. Each one of us took a step forward toward Neville. I didn't want to approach him too quickly at the risk of startling him. Neville had never had the strongest constitution in the world but this was something else. Normally he was pretty good at shaking things off. Not this time. Something had really disturbed him.

"Neville, what - ?"

But an odd clunking noise sounded behind us and we turned to see Professor Moody limping toward us. My hand was mere inches from Neville's shoulder but it dropped at the sight of Moody. I wondered if he would walk past us but it didn't seem that way. It looked like he was coming straight for us. All five of us fell silent, watching him apprehensively, but when he spoke, it was in a much lower and gentler growl than they had yet heard.

"It's all right, sonny," Moody said to Neville. "Why don't you come up to my office? Come on... we can have a cup of tea..."

My voice lodged itself in my mouth. I wanted to say something, to pretend that Neville and I were supposed to have something to do, like studying, but I couldn't force the words out. Neville looked even more frightened at the prospect of tea with Moody. Not that I blamed him. I definitely didn't want to be trapped in a room alone with Moody. I didn't even want to be in a crowded classroom with him. Neville neither moved nor spoke. Moody turned his magical eye upon Harry.

"You all right, are you, Potter?"

"Yes," Harry said, almost defiantly.

Moody's magical eye swiveled around in his head to look at me. "And you, Nox?"

Suddenly, I found myself able to speak again. "Why wouldn't I be?" I asked sharply.

Something about Moody set my nerves on edge. There was something seriously wrong with him. Moody's blue eye quivered slightly in its socket as it surveyed Harry and I. Harry reached over and placed a hand on my back, almost as if the two of us were standing off against him. Hermione and Ron watched nervously. Neville still looked like he was about to fall to the ground and pass out. For a brief moment, it seemed as if Moody was going to raise his wand and cast one of the Unforgivable Curses against us. But he never did.

Instead, he said, "You've got to know. It seems harsh, maybe, but you've got to know." I scowled. We had to know about them. We didn't need to see them. Not this early, at least. Not like that. "No point pretending... well... come on, Longbottom, I've got some books that might interest you."

Was he really going to take Neville in private? To do what? Try and apologize for what he had done in class? I couldn't believe that he would feel bad for it and I really didn't see Moody as the type of teacher to comfort students when he knew that he had upset them. I felt terrible for Neville, but I didn't know what to say or do. Neville looked pleadingly at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I, but we didn't say anything, so Neville had no choice but to allow himself to be steered away, one of Moody's gnarled hands on his shoulder.

Just as they were about to walk up the stairs, back to Moody's classroom, I reached out and grabbed Neville's arm, stopping them. "Hey, Neville. Let me know if you need to talk, alright?" I offered.

"Yes," Neville said hoarsely, nodding at me. "Thank you, Tara."

Moody stared at me for a few seconds too long before nodding for Neville to come with him. I finally released his arm. "What was that about?" Ron asked, watching Neville and Moody turn the corner.

"I don't know," Hermione said, looking pensive.

"Some lesson, though, eh?" Ron said to Harry and me as we set off for the Great Hall. I remained silent. "Fred and George were right, weren't they? He really knows his stuff, Moody, doesn't he? When he did Avada Kedavra, the way that spider just died, just snuffed it right -"

"It's disgusting, Ron," I interrupted, knowing that Harry wouldn't say anything. In fact, his face was as white as ash. He was likely just trying to put on a strong face. Ron looked shocked at my sharp words. Normally, I would have been laughing along with him. "I'm surprised that Dumbledore would dare let Moody teach that. Especially to Fourth Years. Maybe to Sixth or Seventh Years with the explicit consent of parents."

Ron scowled at me, looking almost offended that I didn't agree with him. "Since when did you turn into Hermione?" he asked me.

Hermione looked like she'd barely heard him. "Since Moody just showed us curses meant to permanently imprison someone in Azkaban like they were nothing," I snapped.

Ron looked like he was going to speak again so I threw my head back over my shoulder to motion to Harry and Hermione. Ron's mouth was still hanging open but he fell suddenly silent at the look on Harry's face. At that point, I figured that he wasn't going to speak again until we reached the Great Hall. The only comment he made was to Harry and me when we were halfway down the stairs that led to the Great Hall. Ron only said he supposed we had better make a start on Professor Trelawney's predictions tonight since they would take hours.

"What were you doing in there?"

All four of us turned back to see that the owner of the voice was none other than Draco Malfoy. And it appeared that he was talking to me. I crossed my arms over my chest, scowling at him. "Learning," I said plainly. Now it was Malfoy's turn to scowl. My friends had all stopped to watch so I turned back to them, knowing that Malfoy wouldn't speak again until they were gone. "Go on. I'll see you guys at dinner."

"Tara -"

"I'll see you later," I interrupted Harry. He very slowly nodded at me, shooting Malfoy a nasty look, as he walked off, Ron and Hermione in tow. I turned back to Malfoy. "What? What do you want?"

"The way that you were speaking to Moody," Malfoy clarified. I shrugged my shoulders. "Are you nuts?"

What was it to him, the way I had been speaking to Moody? "Someone had to talk to him. Someone had to distract him from what he was doing to the students who couldn't handle it. You're not the sharpest tool in the shed but I know you can get this one," I told him, unable to resist getting a dig in there toward him. "There's something wrong with him."

"You're just now figuring that out?" Malfoy asked.

"Of course not, nitwit," I snapped at him. Malfoy still didn't look thrilled with my insults. But I wanted to know why he was suddenly so concerned with my comments to Moody. "I know who Mad-Eye Moody is. I've met him once before. But that's not what this is about. There's something seriously wrong with him. He doesn't seem like the mad ex-Auror. He seems dangerous."

I wasn't quite sure why I was explaining it to Malfoy, but he looked interested and I wanted someone to hear my point of view. "Wasn't he always dangerous?" Malfoy asked.

"Sure," I said, shrugging. "But he didn't seem like... that. Prepared to kill a student."

Malfoy stared at me sidelong. "You're one to talk."

Was he trying to tell me that I had wanted to kill him? That seemed to be a little bit of a stretch... "I might not like you but that doesn't mean that I want to kill you," I said awkwardly. We both stared at each other for a long time before I spoke again. "Malfoy... Come on... I know that you've got to see it. He doesn't seem right."

Malfoy hummed thoughtfully. "You mentioned that you had met him before?"

"Once years ago. I didn't talk to him. I only saw him across the room," I explained. "But I saw him enough to know that this isn't his personality. He's a little eccentric but he's not diabolical."

Malfoy nodded slowly. It seemed like he was about to walk away when he spoke again. "Why did you ask about the Cruciatus Curse?"

"One of your lovely family friends back at the World Cup hit me with one," I growled, somehow blaming him.

Malfoy's face paled slightly. He swallowed thickly before straightening up. "They're not my family friends," he snapped. He might have straightened up slightly but I realized that he was still missing most of the color in his face. Not only that, but his voice was very shaky. "Someone - Someone hit you with a Cruciatus Curse?"

"I'm about ninety-nine percent positive," I said.

For some reason, Malfoy now looked almost offended. "I don't particularly like you, Nox." I scoffed. That was the understatement of the year. "But I would never want someone to use the Cruciatus Curse on you."

"Wow," I said slowly, staring Malfoy in the eyes. "That sounded almost caring."

Malfoy scoffed. "Don't get that carried away."

"Why were you upset about the way that I was talking to Moody?" I snapped.

Much to both of our surprise, Malfoy looked at a loss for words. But he recovered quickly. "The last thing I need is for you to end up getting yourself killed. Who would I be able to tease and threaten if not you?" Malfoy asked.

It was just enough to almost make us sound like friends. Almost. If only we didn't hate each other. "For just a second that was almost nice," I told Malfoy, staring at him sideways. Surprisingly enough, we both managed to smile at each other. Lately, it seemed that we could have actually been on the path to becoming friends. But we weren't there yet. For that reason, I started shifting around awkwardly after a brief stare-down. "We should get going. We're going to be late for dinner."

Malfoy looked like he had to shake his head clear. "Yeah. Definitely," he agreed.

The two of us turned immediately and walked into the dining hall without speaking to each other any more. Probably for the best, given the strange state of our relationship. We didn't look at each other when we went to our separate dining tables. Some people looked at us in confusion - as we so rarely were seen together and not fighting - but no one commented on it. I tried very hard not to spare him another glance as I took my spot in between Harry and Hermione. They and Ron looked just as curious as the rest of the Great Hall.

Over at the Hufflepuff table, I could see Cedric's friends chatting lowly with him, keeping their heads down as they spoke, but still rather conspicuously motioning to me. Thankfully, Cedric appeared to be shrugging them off. I rolled my eyes. This would just turn into another situation of rumors running rampant in Hogwarts. Neither Hermione nor I joined in with Harry and Ron's conversation during dinner, but while I ignored my food, Hermione ate hers furiously fast and then left for the library again. I continued pushing the beans on my plate around.

My mind was somewhere in between being bothered at the muttering going on in the Great Hall about myself and Malfoy and my constant replaying of Moody's lesson with the Unforgivable Curses. The students whispering and their gazes shooting back and forth between the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables. That flash of green light and the sight of the spider's trembling. The constant avoidance of meeting Malfoy's eyes. The sound of the screams of the students in the classroom. The sudden awareness that Neville was not at dinner.

Finally, I couldn't just sit there anymore. I jumped up from the table, startling the people near me. "I'll be back," I said to Ron and Harry.

"Going to find Diggory?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food.

"Actually this time I'm going to the library," I said. They both looked rather surprised. "See you guys a little bit later."

"Bye," Harry said.

All eyes were on me as I walked out of the Great Hall. I remained walking briskly with my eyes locked face-forward. They weren't getting a reaction from me and if Cedric wanted to know anything, I would tell him when no one else was around. I walked upstairs and headed into the library, where thankfully not that many people were around. Most people were downstairs in the Great Hall for dinner. Hermione would likely be hidden in one of the rows of shelves. But I didn't want to be around her right now. She would just tell me that I was overreacting.

Honestly, I should have waited and asked Ron and Harry about Moody and his lesson. I wanted to know how they felt. Harry had gone as white as a ghost during the lesson. Ron had looked excited. I supposed that it didn't matter. I didn't care right now. I was just planning on talking to them about it later. Right now all I needed was to do something else... and I needed to do it quickly. I didn't want anyone to see what I was doing and I knew that the library wouldn't be crowded as it would be closing soon.

I walked into the library and took a seat at one of the tables near the back. I reached into my satchel and pulled out a piece of parchment, staring at it for a moment. Remus had told me to write to him if there was ever anything I needed. I had a feeling that he might have once known Moody. If anyone would know anything about his personality and if I might have been overreacting - or have something to be concerned about - it would be Remus. I knew that I would get a response faster from him than I would from Sirius. And my parents would get far too worried if I told them.

 _Remus,_

 _Hoping my letter finds you well. How have you been since leaving Hogwarts? We've missed you back home. I understand why you had to stay away. With Sirius on the loose, it doesn't look good for any of you to be hanging around together. Either way, I'd love to see you again sometime. We would all love to see you. Promise that you'll come to visit soon?_

 _Perhaps I should get to the point. You told me once that I could write to you if I ever needed anything. It's not so much that I need something more than I have a question about something. Someone, more appropriately._

 _From what Mom and Dad have told me, you once knew an Auror by the name of Alastor Moody. Mad-Eye Moody. Much to everyone's surprise, Moody is now our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Having him makes me yearn for the days of Gilderoy Lockhart. At least his lessons were harmless. Most of the time, anyway. Everyone seems to love him because he does definitely know what he's talking about. But I think there's something wrong with him. Not just what people talk about. This is something much darker._

 _Long story short, today Moody showed us the three Unforgivable Curses in class. Not just explained them. You're not even supposed to do that until Sixth Year. He actually showed them to us._ _Killing Curse and all. It was on a spider, granted, but it was still taking a life. I don't know, it just seemed so wrong. Shouldn't it be at least somewhat difficult to kill a living being? Moody did it like it was nothing._

 _Remus, I think something's wrong with him. I don't know what it is, but there's got to be something. Everyone thinks that it's no big deal, that he's just eccentric, but this seems diabolical. Maybe I'm overreacting. Can you give me some two-cents here?_

 _Am I right or just being panicked for no reason?_

 _Hope things are well with you. Found any new work over the past few months? We all miss you. Come by soon._

 _Hope to hear from you soon,  
Tara_

As I placed my quill down, reading over my letter, a shadow fell on my other side. I was unable to shield the letter before he saw it. "Are you writing a letter to Professor Lupin?" Cedric asked.

I blushed a deep scarlet as I rolled the letter up and placed it back down on the table. "Well... yeah," I muttered dumbly, scooting over as Cedric seated himself on the bench with me. "He was one of my parents' best friends and he was around sometimes over the summer. We got close. He's kind of become like a third parent. Just wanted to check up on him and see how he's doing."

"That's a long letter to check up on someone," Cedric said, grinning down at me.

"Mind your damn business," I snapped playfully. Cedric laid a hand over his chest, feigning being upset with me as I laughed, shoving into him gently. I looked over at him once I had calmed down. "Now, on the risk of completely negating everything I just said, I need you to do something for me."

Cedric narrowed his eyebrows. "Why do I get the feeling that you're not just planning on asking me for a harmless date?"

"Because you know me well," I answered. We both laughed again. "Look… I want to make this really simple. Madam Pince likes you."

"True."

"Madam Pince hates me."

"Also true."

"I need to get a book but I'm pretty sure it's going to be in the Restricted Section. Actually, I'm positive that it'll be in the Restricted Section. I need you to ask her for it," I explained, hoping he wouldn't ask me about it.

Thankfully, Cedric seemed to be thinking about the practicality of it. "Tara, I would still need a note from a professor."

"Not if you butter her up slightly," I said slowly, nudging his shoulder gently. He still didn't look completely convinced. "Come on, I've seen her actually speak to you like you're a human being. She doesn't talk to anyone else that way."

Cedric let out a deep breath, running his hand over his forehead. "Alright," he conceded. I smiled at him. "What book do you need?"

"One that talks about the Unforgivable Curses."

Cedric's brows shot up almost all the way to his forehead. "I haven't made you that mad recently, have I?"

Although he looked reasonably serious, I laughed quietly and shook my head. "No. But I want to read up on them," I said. Cedric nodded for me to continue explaining. "Moody was teaching us them in class today and actually demonstrating them. Last I heard, those curses are supposed to take a toll on the person casting them. But he did it like it was nothing. Like it was a Bat-Boogey Hex."

It just seemed so strange to me. How did no one else think it was odd? Cedric shook his head as if trying to piece the mystery together. "Tara, he was one of the best Aurors of all time. It might not be a nice thought, but he's probably used those curses before," Cedric said quietly.

"I know it was on a spider, but he cast the Killing Curse like it was nothing to him," I argued.

That comment caught Cedric's attention. "He showed you the Killing Curse in a classroom with Harry in it?" he asked quietly.

Finally, someone finally seemed to be coming to the same conclusion that I was. Moody's lesson wasn't informational. It was cruel. "Yeah. No one seems to understand that part! He killed the spider right in front of him. Talk about not having tact," I muttered angrily.

Cedric let out a few deep breaths before finally nodding slowly. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Thanks," I breathed gratefully.

He was my only chance at getting a good look into the Unforgivable Curses. I needed a book that would explain a lot more than anything Moody or the rest of the professors would tell me. And it would get me the information a lot faster than Remus would be able to get it back to me. The two of us smiled at each other as I squeezed his hand and turned back, ducking behind a column of books not far from the front of the library. I watched closely as Cedric approached Madam Pince's desk. He turned back to me just long enough for me to give him an encouraging nod.

Cedric smiled politely as he stood in front of her desk. "Good evening, Madam Pince."

She barely looked up over her horn-rimmed glasses. "Mr. Diggory," she greeted.

"Did you have a nice summer?" Cedric asked.

"It was pleasant enough," Madam Pince said.

"That's good to hear," Cedric replied, smiling awkwardly. He hesitated for a moment before jumping into it. "I wondered if I might ask you a favor." Madam Pince finally glanced up. "We were talking about the Unforgivable Curses in Defense Against the Dark Arts the other day and we now have an essay due on them. The Standard Book of Spells talks a little bit about them but I was hoping to go more in-depth with my answers. Getting so close to the end of my days here at Hogwarts, every grade will matter. Can you perhaps point me in the right direction?"

My eyebrows quirked slightly. He was getting to be a good liar. My influence, I was sure. "Anything you may want to take a look at would be in the Restricted Section. You'll have to get a note from Professor Moody," Madam Pince told him.

I groaned. That was exactly what I was trying to avoid. "Well, I was hoping that there might have been a chance that I could bypass that bit," Cedric said awkwardly. Madam Pince fixated an even stare on him. "You know Professor Moody. He's not exactly the friendly or understanding type."

"I'm sure that Professor Moody will understand if it's for additional reading material," Madam Pince said.

As Madam Pince looked back down at her desk, Cedric turned back to me. I nodded for him to try again. "Madam Pince..." Cedric said slowly. She glanced back at him. "I have never returned a book late or damaged any of your property. You know that I'll keep my word when I tell you that I will only have the book out for the night. I'll bring it back to you first thing in the morning."

Madam Pince still wasn't budging. "No means no, Mr. Diggory. Tell Miss Nox if she would like the book she can get the note herself," she said, never once looking away from him.

 _Old bat paid more attention than I thought_... "Shit," I muttered, ducking behind the column.

"Yes, ma'am," Cedric's voice called awkwardly.

"Well that was a bust," I groaned as Cedric came back to stand with me.

"Just get the note, Tara," he said.

But that would tip Moody off that I was getting suspicious. I had a different plan. One that wouldn't require anyone knowing what I was doing. "I've got a better idea," I said suddenly.

Cedric shook his head. "Don't tell me. I like not being involved in your harebrained schemes," he said quickly. I smiled at him. That was probably for the best. "Best of luck with whatever you're planning on doing, though."

"We'll see how well it works out," I said. Cedric smiled at me as we linked hands and headed up to the front of the library, stopping at the wooden doors. "Okay, I'm going to go back to the Common Room. Maybe see how Neville's doing."

"What's wrong with Neville?" Cedric asked curiously.

"I don't know. We went to Defense Against the Dark Arts and he seemed okay right up until Moody started showing us the curses," I said. Something about my statement seemed to pique Cedric's interest. "All of a sudden he looked like he was going to be sick. He hasn't seemed right since. I just wanted to see if he was feeling any better by now."

"Did Moody happen to be demonstrating the Cruciatus Curse?" Cedric asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

Cedric lowered his voice so much that it was almost hard to hear him. "That curse has a lot of history with Neville's family."

"What do you mean?" I asked, just as quietly.

"Don't repeat this, Tara. Dad told me and made me swear not to repeat it. I doubt Neville would like anyone knowing," Cedric said darkly.

"I'm not going to say anything," I said impatiently. "Tell me."

Cedric let out a deep breath and pulled me with him behind a stone wall. "At the end of the Wizarding War, Alice and Frank Longbottom were attacked by Death Eaters. Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange," Cedric explained quietly. My eyes bulged. They were always considered to be some of the most dangerous Death Eaters. "That's what Dad said, anyway. They were captured and tortured with the Cruciatus Curse. They've never recovered from their ordeals. They were both deemed insane and lost their capability to function in society."

My head spun for a long time with that revelation. Neville was a great deal stronger than I had ever pegged him for. "I always thought that they had been killed in the war," I said quietly.

"They're alive but trapped in their minds," Cedric replied.

"That's horrible..." I gasped, leaning up against the wall for support. As much as I wanted to say something to Neville, I knew that I couldn't. This was likely something he didn't want to talk about. So, I focused on the previous problem. "Okay, is my claim substantiated now? Moody had to have known about the Longbottom's and he was probably their friend. He then proceeds to perform the curse that permanently disabled his friends in front of their son?"

"Tara, promise me you won't say anything," Cedric said.

"I won't. To Neville," I said. As much as I wanted to talk to Harry, Ron, and Hermione about this, I knew that I couldn't. This had to stay in my own head. For Neville's sake. "But I should go see how he's doing."

"Okay," Cedric said slowly. "See you tomorrow?"

"Seems likely since we go to the same school," I teased.

Cedric laughed, giving me a gentle shove. "Shut up. See you later."

"Night, Cedric." I was about to walk off when something dawned on me. He had never mentioned what seemed to be the talk of the school this afternoon. "Hey!" I yelped. Cedric stopped short and turned back to me. "No questions about earlier?"

"You mean whether or not I was interested in the conversations circling the school about yourself and Draco Malfoy?" Cedric asked, grinning slightly.

"Yeah..." I muttered.

"Do you have feelings for him?" Cedric asked.

"No!" I gasped.

Cedric smiled, probably knowing that I was disgusted at the very thought. "Then I have nothing to say about it," Cedric said, shrugging carelessly. I always was surprised at the way he could blow off gossip. "I trust you, Tara. No matter what anyone else has to say. The point of a relationship is that it's between two people. Not an entire group."

"You're one of the good ones," I told Cedric, smiling at him. He gave me a slight smile back. "You know that, right?"

"Of course. It's just miraculous that _you_ managed to catch me," Cedric said haughtily.

He was definitely starting to take after me, which I wasn't sure whether or not was a good thing. At least it didn't make me feel like such an ass when I said things like that since he was now throwing it back in my face. We both laughed as I reached for the hood of his robes and pulled him into me. He ran a hand through my hair and pressed a quick kiss against my mouth before releasing me. We walked toward the staircase hand-in-hand until we reached the staircase for Gryffindor Tower. He gave me another quick kiss and said goodnight.

Once we had separated, I headed up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower. The halls were mostly empty but I was a little surprised to see that Harry and Ron appeared to be walking back from dinner. It was a little strange since we had been sitting in the Great Hall for almost half an hour before I had gone off to the library and I had been there for twenty minutes. Had something interesting been happening since? I sped up slightly and dashed up the flight of stairs to fall into step with the boys.

"Hey, guys. Long dinner," I commented, walking up to them.

"They had shepherd's pie!" Ron said excitedly.

"Right. Whatever," I said carelessly.

"Anything interesting in the library?" Harry asked.

"Not really," I said, for some reason unwilling to tell them about my thoughts of Moody. They would probably think that I was being paranoid like everyone else did. "Madam Pince still hates me."

"What else is new?" Ron asked.

I glanced over at Harry, who appeared to have gained some color back but still looked a little shaky. I assumed that he had been thinking of nothing but the Unforgivable Curses all through dinner. And he now raised the subject of the Unforgivable Curses himself. "Wouldn't Moody and Dumbledore be in trouble with the Ministry if they knew we'd seen the curses?" Harry asked as we approached the Fat Lady.

"Yeah, probably," Ron said.

"Definitely," I agreed.

"But Dumbledore's always done things his way, hasn't he, and Moody's been getting in trouble for years, I reckon. Attacks first and asks questions later - look at his dustbins," Ron pointed out. _Look at the dead spider_... "Balderdash."

The Fat Lady swung forward to reveal the entrance hole, and we climbed into the Gryffindor Common Room, which was crowded and noisy. The twins appeared to be setting off fireworks in the corner. But they weren't laughing quite like they normally were. In fact, they didn't even seem to be that interested in messing with me about the Malfoy situation from earlier. Any other day that would have been the first thing they would have done to me. I tried to catch their eyes, but Harry's voice broke me from my near-trance.

"Shall we get our Divination stuff, then?" Harry asked.

"I suppose," Ron groaned.

"Damn it, I almost forgot about that," I growled, shooting Ron an irritated look.

This was his fault. If he hadn't messed with Lavender in class we would have never had this much homework. For the worst class, too... We went up to our respective dormitories to fetch our books and charts. Although I couldn't find my own moon chart. I had lent it to Dean. I groaned and darted over to the boy's dormitory. They weren't alone in there. Neville must have been there alone, sitting on his bed, reading. He looked a good deal calmer than at the end of Moody's lesson, though still not entirely normal. His eyes were rather red. The boys were staring at him dumbly.

"You all right, Neville?" Harry asked him, barely giving me a second glance.

"Oh yes, I'm fine, thanks," Neville said, his voice still far too high. "Just reading this book Professor Moody lent me..."

He held up the book: _Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean_. "That was... nice of him..." I said awkwardly.

"Apparently, Professor Sprout told Professor Moody I'm really good at Herbology," Neville said. There was a faint note of pride in his voice that I had rarely heard there before. "He thought I'd like this."

Telling Neville what Professor Sprout had said was a very tactful way of cheering Neville up, for Neville very rarely heard that he was good at anything. It was the sort of thing Professor Lupin would have done. But that didn't mean that I forgave Moody for what he had done in class. He must have known about Neville's parents. He should have never done something like that in the first place. I didn't care how important he thought that it was. Neville deserved to have been given the choice whether or not he wanted to see the Cruciatus Curse.

For a brief moment, I stared at Neville with a new level of appreciation. I had never realized - or cared, honestly - about what he had been forced to go through at such a young age. And even now, I supposed. I knew that I should have said something to him or to my friends about it but I had also promised Cedric that I wouldn't. This was just something that I would have to keep to myself until someone else decided to say something. I wasn't sure that Neville would ever be able to.

But I couldn't leave the room without saying anything. I seated myself on the edge of Neville's bed and placed my hand on his knee. "Hey, Neville, let me know if find anything interesting in there. My mom would love to hear about any new herbs. She still likes to work as a Healer on the side," I told him.

Neville's face brightened slightly. "Absolutely, Tara. Thanks for the offer earlier, by the way."

"Of course. Know that it always stands," I said.

Even if he just wanted to talk to me about it, I would be there to listen. Harry, Ron, and I took our copies of Unfogging the Future back down to the Common Room, found a table near the fireplace, and set to work on our predictions for the coming month. An hour later, we had still made very little progress, though our table was littered with bits of parchment bearing sums and symbols, and my brain was as fogged as though it had been filled with the fumes from Professor Trelawney's fire. I was too caught up with Neville's story to focus much on my own work.

"What happened to Diggory helping you with this?" Ron asked, glancing over at my blank parchment.

"I got distracted by something else," I answered vaguely.

"Tara!" Harry gasped.

"Not that!" I snapped, whacking him with a rolled up piece of parchment.

Harry scowled at me, brushing his hair back into place, going back to his own assignment. "I haven't got a clue what this lot's supposed to mean," Harry said, staring down at a long list of calculations.

"You know," Ron said, whose hair was on end because of all the times he had run his fingers through it in frustration, "I think it's back to the old Divination standby."

"What - make it up?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Ron said, sweeping the jumble of scrawled notes off the table, dipping his pen into some ink, and starting to write.

It was usually what we ended up resorting to. "Sounds as good as anything," I said.

"Next Monday," Ron muttered as he scribbled across the parchment, "I am likely to develop a cough, owing to the unlucky conjunction of Mars and Jupiter." He looked up at Harry and me, as we were both staring at him. "You know her - just put in loads of misery, she'll lap it up."

"Right," Harry said, crumpling up his first attempt and lobbing it over the heads of a group of chattering first years into the fire. "Okay... on Monday, I will be in danger of- er - burns."

"Yeah, you will be, we're seeing the skrewts again on Monday," Ron said darkly. I snorted under my breath. "Okay, Tuesday, I'll... erm..."

"Lose a treasured possession," Harry said, who was flicking through Unfogging the Future for ideas.

"Good one," Ron said, copying it down. "Because of... erm... Mercury."

"Okay... next month I'm going to suffer a loss of pride," I said, trying my hand.

"Nice," Harry said.

"Because Mars is lapsing over Venus," I continued.

"Go with Saturn overlapping Venus. We've all already used Mars," Ron put in.

"Better," I said.

"Perfect," Harry said, grinning.

"Why don't you get stabbed in the back by someone you thought was a friend?" Ron offered to Harry.

"Yeah... cool..." Harry said, scribbling it down, "because... Venus is in the twelfth house."

"And on Wednesday, I think I'll come off worst in a fight," Ron said.

"Ah, I was going to have a fight. Okay, I'll lose a bet," Harry conceded.

"Yeah, you'll be betting I'll win my fight..." Ron said.

"And I'll come out ahead of both of you since I told you not to fight or bet," I put in.

"But you'll lose it all in a trip down the stairs," Ron suggested.

"Naturally," I chuckled.

We continued to make up predictions (which grew steadily more tragic) for another hour, while the Common Room around us slowly emptied as people went up to bed. It left mostly the older students who were either working on their homework or excitedly chatting away. Crookshanks wandered over to us later, leaped lightly into an empty chair, and stared inscrutably at Harry, rather as Hermione might look if she knew we weren't doing our homework properly. I tried to shoo the cat off but he merely hissed and snapped at my shoes.

Staring around the room, trying to think of a kind of misfortune I hadn't yet used, I saw that Fred and George had moved out of the middle of the Common Room. They were now sitting together against the opposite wall, heads together, quills out, poring over a single piece of parchment. It was most unusual to see Fred and George hidden away in a corner and working silently; they usually liked to be in the thick of things and the noisy center of attention, just as they had been earlier in the evening. What in Merlin's name were they doing now?

There was something secretive about the way they were working on the piece of parchment, and I was immediately reminded of how they had sat together writing something back at the Burrow. I had thought then that it was another order form for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, but it didn't look like that this time; if it had been, they would surely have let Lee Jordan in on the joke. I wondered whether it had anything to do with entering the Triwizard Tournament. It couldn't have been. This looked a little more... intense... They actually looked angry.

As I watched, George shook his head at Fred, scratched out something with his quill, and said, in a very quiet voice that nevertheless carried across the almost deserted room, "No - that sounds like we're accusing him. Got to be careful..."

Accusing him? Accusing who? What the hell were the two of them talking about? There was an itch in the back of my head practically begging me to go and ask them about it. Then George looked over and saw me - and apparently Harry - watching him. Harry grinned and quickly returned to his predictions - I assumed that he didn't want George to think he was eavesdropping. But I kept staring at the twins. They winked at me and went back to work. Shortly after that, the twins rolled up their parchment, said good night, and went off to bed.

"Be right back," I told Harry and Ron. They stared at me as I jumped over the back of the couch and darted to stairs, just barely managing to head the twins off. "Boys."

"Tara," Fred and George greeted.

"Something wrong?" I asked curiously.

"You don't know how to mind your own business," Fred said.

"That is true," I agreed. "Come on. Tell me. What's going on? I want to help."

Fred grinned, patting me on the top of the head. I shoved his hand off. "Don't worry your pretty little head, Tara."

"We can handle it," George added.

The two of them physically lifted me up before placing me down behind themselves. I growled at them as they headed up the stairs. That couldn't be it. I would get it out of them. I scowled at the floor as I walked back to my seat, determined to get the truth out of them. I wanted to know what was going on. Quite frankly, I was just being nosy. But that was just who I was.

"What was that about?" Ron asked as I came back to sit with them.

"I'm not sure. But I'm going to find out," I said determinedly.

At that point, I was done with my Divination work. I would just take a lower grade. I was much more interested in what was happening with the twins and why they were so hesitant to share it. Fred and George had been gone ten minutes or so - all of which I had spent plotting against them - when the portrait hole opened and Hermione climbed into the Common Room carrying a sheaf of parchment in one hand and a box whose contents rattled as she walked in the other. Crookshanks arched his back, purring. I arched a brow at her curiously.

"Hello, I've just finished!" Hermione said happily.

"So have I!" Ron said triumphantly, throwing down his quill.

But what was it that Hermione had finished? I assumed that it wasn't her homework. She had just said that she hadn't been given much homework. It wouldn't have taken her hours to get all of her work done. She was doing something else. And when Hermione got an idea, it usually meant that we would be hearing about it. And probably forced to join in with her... Hermione sat down, laid the things she was carrying in an empty armchair, and pulled Ron's predictions toward her.

"Not going to have a very good month, are you?" she said sardonically as Crookshanks curled up in her lap.

"Ah well, at least I'm forewarned," Ron yawned.

"You seem to be drowning twice," Hermione said.

"Oh am I?" Ron asked, peering down at his predictions. "I'd better change one of them to getting trampled by a rampaging Hippogriff."

I let out a bark of laughter that Ron grinned at. "Don't you think it's a bit obvious you've made these up?" Hermione asked.

"How dare you! We've been working like house-elves here!" Ron gasped, in mock outrage.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Ron..." I whispered.

"It's just an expression," Ron said hastily.

The two of them naturally launched themselves into a nasty argument over house-elf rights. I was honestly sick of listening to it. House-elves wanted to be slaves. That was the way that it worked. Hermione just didn't understand it. I threw my half-filled chart back into my bag with the rest of my supplies and glanced over to Harry, who was now the only person left still working. After a few moments, Harry laid down his quill too, having just finished predicting his own death by decapitation.

"Decapitation?" I questioned, leaning down over him.

"You wrote falling off the Astronomy Tower," Harry said as if that gave him a good excuse to predict his own death by somehow getting decapitated.

"But that could be accurate with all of the time I spend there," I pointed out.

"Decapitation could also be accurate," Harry said.

I supposed that anything could be accurate. "Accurate and disgusting," I said, chuckling.

"What's in the box?" Harry asked Hermione, pointing at it, stopping their argument in its tracks.

"Funny you should ask," Hermione said, with a nasty look at Ron.

Finally, we were about to see what she had been spending so much time over the past few days doing. As she reached over and grabbed the box I felt a funny lurch in my stomach that told me that I wasn't going to enjoy whatever it was that the contents held. Hermione pulled the box into her lap, took off the lid and showed us the contents. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. In fact, I had no idea what it was supposed to be. Inside the box were about fifty badges, all of them different colors, but all bearing the same letters: S.P.E.W.

"Spew?" Harry asked, picking up a badge and looking at it. He glanced over at me but I shrugged, unsure of what it was supposed to mean. I'd never heard the acronym before. "What's this about?"

"Not spew," Hermione said impatiently. "It's S-P-E-W. Stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare."

" _This_ is what you've been doing in the library the past few days?" I asked her curiously.

"Never heard of it," Ron said.

"Well, of course, you haven't, I've only just started it," Hermione said brusquely.

"Yeah?" Ron asked in mild surprise. "How many members have you got?"

"Well - if you three join - four," Hermione said.

Absolutely not. I had put up with a lot from those three. This was not going to be one of those things. "Mione, I would rather try to shove my entire foot in my mouth than walk around with that badge pinned to my chest," I told her honestly.

"Come on, Tara!" Hermione cried.

"No," I said flatly. "I'll help you out, but I am not wearing that badge."

"Agreed. And you think we want to walk around wearing badges saying 'spew,' do you?" Ron asked.

"S-P-E-W!" Hermione spat hotly. "I was going to put Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status - but it wouldn't fit. So that's the heading of our manifesto."

" _Our?_ " I snapped.

There was no way that I was doing this one. I had a relatively big social circle in Hogwarts. Since I spent most of the year at Hogwarts, I enjoyed having so many friends that I could talk to - in each of the years. I knew that if I walked around with a badge spelling out 'spew' pinned to my chest that I would lose at least most of my upperclassmen friends. And I would _never_ hear the end of it from Cedric or his friends. Hermione acted as though she hadn't heard us as she brandished the sheaf of parchment at us.

"I've been researching it thoroughly in the library. Elf enslavement goes back centuries. I can't believe no one's done anything about it before now," Hermione said, looking down at her parchment.

"Hermione - open your ears. They. Like. It. They like being enslaved!" Ron said loudly.

"Our short-term aims," Hermione continued, speaking even more loudly than Ron, and acting as though she hadn't heard a word just as before, "are to secure house-elves fair wages and working conditions. Our long-term aims include changing the law about non-wand use, and trying to get an elf into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures because they're shockingly underrepresented."

"Can I repeat, _our?_ " I asked loudly again.

"Yes, _our_ , Tara," Hermione said.

"I've got bigger problems. Your weird house-elf obsession is not one of them, I muttered.

"And how do we do all this?" Harry asked.

"Don't encourage her!" I yelled at him.

"We start by recruiting members. I thought two Sickles to join - that buys a badge - and the proceeds can fund our leaflet campaign," Hermione said happily.

"You really think that people will donate two sickles for this?" I asked her. She glanced up, looking almost offended with me. "Hermione, people would much rather go to Zonko's or Honeydukes and spend two sickles that way."

"Exactly," Hermione said. "You know people."

"Yes, I do," I said.

"You're treasurer, Ron - I've got you a collecting tin upstairs - and Harry, you're secretary, so you might want to write down everything I'm saying now, as a record of our first meeting," Hermione explained.

"So, what will I be doing? She feared to ask..." I mumbled under my breath.

"Wonderful you should ask!" Hermione chirped. I stared at her blankly. How did she not see the sarcasm there? I was not planning on doing a single thing with this spew nonsense. "You have a lot of friends in the upper years. Your boyfriend is one of the most popular boys at Hogwarts. You can deal with public relations! Promoting S.P.E.W."

"If I do that, I won't have a boyfriend anymore," I told her.

"He might like it," Hermione said.

"I'm not bringing this up with Cedric. Or any of his friends," I said determinedly.

"Tara!" Hermione whined.

"You've actually lost your mind this time, haven't you?" I asked.

But she was ignoring me. There was a pause in which Hermione beamed at the three of us, and I sat, torn between exasperation at Hermione and amusement at the dumb looks on Ron's and Harry's faces. I imagined that none of us really knew how to broach this with Hermione. The silence was broken, not by Ron, who in any case looked as though he was temporarily dumbstruck, but by a soft tap, tap on the window. I looked across the now empty common room and saw, illuminated by the moonlight, a snowy owl perched on the windowsill.

"Hedwig!" Harry shouted, and he launched himself out of his chair and across the room to pull open the window.

Finally! We would be able to deal with Hermione and the whole spew thing later. All I could think was how grateful I was that Hermione would now be distracted by whatever news Hedwig had from Sirius. Which reminded me that I would have to send Dai off later with my letter to Remus, which Cedric had ever-so-kindly interrupted. Hedwig flew inside, soared across the room, and landed on the table on top of Harry's predictions. At first, I didn't see a letter, which caused my heart to skip a few beats.

"About time!" Harry said, hurrying after her.

"Move!" I gasped, shoving Ron out of the way.

"She's got an answer!" Ron said excitedly, pointing at the grubby piece of parchment tied to Hedwig's leg.

Thankfully, she did have a letter. Now we just had to pray that Sirius was okay and that we hadn't accidentally drawn any attention to him. Harry hastily untied it and sat down to read, whereupon Hedwig fluttered onto his knee, hooting softly. I reached over and gave her a few gentle ruffles of the feathers. She looked like she was expecting some kind of treats for doing so well with a trip that must have been extremely far - especially considering how long it had taken her to get back to us.

"What does it say?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

She and Ron were squished into a chair across from us. I was leaning over Harry's shoulder, perched just behind him in the chair. From what I could see over his shoulder, the letter was very short and looked as though it had been scrawled in a great hurry. My heart gave a slight flutter. Had we sent Sirius into a panic? Harry read it aloud:

 _"Harry & Tara -_

 _"I'm flying north immediately. This news about your scar and Tara's hand are the latest in a series of strange rumors that have reached me here. If either one of them hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore - they're saying he's got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he's reading the signs, even if no one else is._

 _"I'll be in touch soon. My best to Ron and Hermione. Tell Cedric to keep his hands at bay. Keep your eyes open, both of you._

 _"Sirius."_

The usual comment about Cedric keeping his hands to himself - which Sirius had put in all of his letters to me - didn't bring a smile to my face. It barely registered. What really dawned on me was the first sentence. Sirius was coming north. Which meant that he was coming right back into the place where he was most wanted. This was where most of the searches for him were happening. We couldn't let him come back here! He would be risking his life. Harry glanced at me briefly before looking up at Ron and Hermione, who stared back at us.

"He's flying north?" Hermione whispered. "He's coming back?"

"Dumbledore's reading what signs?" Ron asked, looking perplexed. "Harry, Tara - what's up?"

For Harry had just hit himself in the forehead with his fist, jolting Hedwig out of his lap. Ron and Hermione looked concerned about him, but I knew exactly what was bothering him. "He can't come north!" I yelled at Harry.

"We shouldn't have told him!" Harry said furiously.

"What are you two on about?" Ron asked in surprise.

"It's made him think he's got to come back!" Harry yelled, now slamming his fist on the table so that Hedwig landed on the back of Ron's chair, hooting indignantly. "Coming back, because he thinks we're in trouble! And there's nothing wrong with us!"

"We made it sound like we were in trouble!" I yelled, knowing that this was also half my fault.

"And I haven't got anything for you," Harry snapped at Hedwig, who was clicking her beak expectantly, "you'll have to go up to the Owlery if you want food."

The last thing that Harry needed to do was start taking his anger out on Hedwig. We would need her to make another quick trip to Sirius before he could get underway to get out here. We needed to stop him before he left wherever he was - apparently safe and sound right now. We couldn't use Dai, as I needed him to go find Remus and get my answer on Moody. Hedwig gave Harry an extremely offended look and took off for the open window, cuffing him around the head with her outstretched wing as she went.

"Well, that was rude," I told Harry, watching as Hedwig soared back out the window. "We need to tell him not to come here. Reassure him that everything's fine. He's been good in hiding. He'd be risking his safety coming back here."

"Harry, Tara," Hermione began, in a pacifying sort of voice.

"I'm going to bed," Harry said shortly. "See you in the morning."

He stood and marched off without another word. Ron and Hermione looked over at me but I wasn't really in the mood to talk either. This day had been a little too eventful for me. "I'm going to go too. Goodnight, guys," I told them quietly.

"Night, Tara," Ron said.

"Be up there soon," Hermione added gently.

Upstairs in the dormitory, I pulled on my pajamas and got into my four-poster, but I didn't feel remotely tired. My mind was racing. If Sirius came back and got caught, it would be our fault. Mine and Harry's. Sirius was trying to keep us safe, no matter what the cost might have been to ourselves. He only cared about us. Why hadn't the two of us just kept our mouths shut? A few seconds' pain and we'd had to blab... If we'd just had the sense to keep it to ourselves. Or if we had been smart enough to tell Dumbledore or my parents. People who weren't hiding from the law.

That coupled with Moody's lesson and the newfound discovery of Neville's hardships... Today had not been a good day for most of us. I heard Hermione come up into the dormitory a short while later, but did not speak to her. For a long time, I lay staring up at the dark canopy of my bed. The dormitory was completely silent. Not even Lavender or Parvati were giggling. It was hours that I sat and stared at the ceiling, wondering where to go next. As the sun rose, dawning the next day, I couldn't help but wonder if I wasn't the only person lying awake.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _During a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Tara discovers a startling new ability and the delegates from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrive at Hogwarts._ Sorry guys, I'm lazy and I suck. No other excuse. But we're here! And hopefully the next one won't take quite as long to come out. Thanks so much for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Ghostie1701: I'm so glad that you love the Tara/Hermione dynamic! Since the story is told from Harry's P.O.V. we don't really get any good female friendships, so I had to give Tara and Hermione some great scenes. I love Dai! I honestly don't think I could kill him. I don't have the heart! I've raised my own expectations in a boyfriend! Cedric is literally the personification of a perfect first boyfriend. I'm so glad you like the sort-of friendship between Tara and Draco. They make an odd couple, don't they? Harry and Ron are in for it with Tara's romantic life... Poor boys. But she'll get it back when they start dating! Fred is just having a tough time. As for any of them being romantically confused, it's definitely him. As for the ferret scene, it might have just showed that Tara cares a little more for Draco than she lets on... I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter so much! I had a great time writing that one. Hopefully you liked this one too!**

 **Guest: That's so true! Unfortunately most of the people Tara love are destined to die... But we'll see! Some things might stay the same but others could definitely change. Hopefully you liked this one!**

 **pottersimpala67: I'm so glad that you loved the last chapter! Yes, Trelawney knows what's up! At least, that's the way it seems, isn't it? Either way, Cedric totally didn't deserve it the first time around! Tara and Draco are going to have a lot more time together in this story, particularly once the Triwizard Tournament starts. Hopefully you'll love that because I intend for it to be all sorts of fun!**

 **slytherinky: I'm so glad that you love the story so much! I hope you liked this one!**

 **Dove Salvatore 21051: That's quite alright! Honestly, I didn't realize how long it had been since I updated this story. Hope you liked this one and I hope it was worth the wait!**


	15. Author's Note (Please Read)

Hello everyone!

As always, thank you so much for reading, reviewing and anything else you may be doing with these stories. It definitely brings a smile to my face, knowing that people are enjoying something I put so much work into.

That being said, I wanted to give you guys a brief update as to why my updates have been coming slower than normal. I've recently been having some health issues. Nothing life-threatening but definitely painful. It makes it hard to sit up and focus for long periods of time without the pain setting in. I'm hoping that after getting a definite diagnosis (tomorrow, if I'm lucky) I'll be on the road to recovery.

I've still been writing for short bursts of time but not quite enough to get out a full update. Regardless, I'm still writing. I just wanted to give you guys some insight as to why I haven't been as active on here as of late.

Thank you so much for your understanding and patience as I get myself back on the right track. I love each and every one of you so much!

As always, until next time -A


	16. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang

When I woke up the next morning, it felt like barely an hour had passed. No one else was awake. Even Hermione was snoozing away. It didn't matter. I didn't need sleep. What I had needed was to think about things. And I had managed to come up with pretty much all the answers I needed. I had a plan fully formed in my mind. Or, three-fourths of the way planned. I got up, dressed in pale dawn, likely ending up with mismatched shoes and clothes but not caring enough to check, and left the dormitory without waking Hermione.

I'd been hoping that I could get down to the Common Room with Remus's letter in hand without anyone else seeing. But I was quite surprised to see Harry in one of the plush chairs by the fireplace. "Harry," I greeted quietly.

He jumped slightly and turned back to me. I smiled at him. He appeared to be leaning down over a piece of parchment. "Morning, Tara," Harry said, looking quite surprised to see me.

"What are you doing up?" I asked curiously.

"Writing a letter to Sirius," Harry answered, showing me the parchment.

"Funny. I was just about to come down here to do the same," I said, grinning.

Harry smiled back. He glanced down to the parchment in my hands. "What's that?"

"Letter to Remus. I wanted to write to him and see how he's doing. Figured that I could get a letter out to Sirius at the same time," I explained. I knew that I should have said something about Moody, but I couldn't stand people telling me that I was just being nuts, so I decided to hold off on it. Maybe I would say something if Remus gave me a reason to worry. "But seeing as you're already on it..."

Harry nodded slowly. "Want to go up to the Owlery together?" he offered.

"Sure. I'll wait," I said, pointing to his blank parchment.

"You tell Remus that I said hello?" Harry asked.

"Of course," I said guiltily.

In all honesty, I hadn't specifically mentioned Harry in the letter as I hadn't been thinking about it. My main concern was that Remus would tell me if I had something to be worried about with Moody. But I didn't want Harry to know that. He would think that I was overreacting just like everyone else did. So, I slipped the letter behind my back and smiled at him. Harry took a blank piece of parchment from the table upon which his Divination homework still laid and wrote the following letter:

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _We both reckon we were just imagining our scars hurting, I was half asleep when I wrote to you last time. There's no point coming back, everything's fine here. Don't worry about me, my head feels completely normal. Tara hasn't had any issues either._

 _Harry & Tara_.

Harry glanced up at me long enough to get my approval. "Not suspicious at all," I said quietly.

Sirius would know immediately that we were lying. But there wasn't a better option. We had to do whatever it took to keep Sirius away from here. "Shut up," Harry snapped, snatching the letter back. "I don't have time to think about a better letter."

"I know," I said, watching him roll the letter. "Ready?"

"Let's go," Harry said.

The two of us wrapped ourselves in our school robes and climbed out of the portrait hole, clutching our letters close to our chests. The two of us traveled up through the silent castle. We were held up only briefly by Peeves, who tried to overturn a large vase on him halfway along the fourth-floor corridor. Harry had to grab my arm and shove me back up the stairs to ensure that I didn't retaliate against the poltergeist - one of my least favorite people in Hogwarts. It was nearly twenty minutes later that we finally arrived at the Owlery, which was situated at the top of West Tower.

The Owlery was a circular stone room, rather cold and drafty because none of the windows had glass in them. The floor was entirely covered in straw, owl droppings, and the regurgitated skeletons of mice and voles. Hundreds upon hundreds of owls of every breed imaginable were nestled here on perches that rose right up to the top of the tower, nearly all of them asleep, though here and there a round amber eye glared at us. I spotted Hedwig first, nestled between a barn owl and a tawny. Harry hurried over to her, sliding a little on the dropping-strewn floor.

Trying my hardest to step around the owl droppings, I walked over to one of the openings where Dai and Rusty were sitting. "Dai. Take this to Remus, okay? As quickly as possible," I told him.

Dai hooted gently, nipping at my fingers as I strapped the note to his foot. He took off through the opening in the tower and I smiled at him. At the same moment, Rusty started nipping at my robes. Rusty was Cedric's owl and one of my personal favorites. He had taken after his owner in his affection for me. I stroked Rusty's feathers for a few moments before shooing him away. He hopped up to one of the higher perches with another few owls as I walked over to Harry, who was still trying to get Hedwig's attention. She was deliberately ignoring him.

She must have still been annoyed over him snapping at her yesterday. "No luck, huh?" I asked Harry, reaching out for Hedwig.

She hopped over to me and gently nipped at my fingers. She wasn't being quite as affectionate as normal but she was certainly friendlier with me than Harry right now. "She hates me," Harry groaned, throwing his head back.

"Owls are proud animals. You made her feel like an annoyance. It'll take her some time to warm back up to you," I said quietly.

But Harry didn't want to hear it. Not that I blamed him. It was tough to have an essential member of his family hating his guts. It took him a while to persuade her to wake up and then to look at him, as she kept shuffling around on her perch, showing him her tail. She was most definitely still furious about his lack of gratitude the previous night. In the end, it was Harry suggesting she might be too tired, and that perhaps he would ask Ron to borrow Pigwidgeon, that made her stick out her leg and allow him to tie the letter to it. She was still avoiding his eyes.

Though it did make me smile. Hedwig loved him. She just wanted him to work for it. "Just find him, all right?" Harry asked quietly, stroking her back as he carried her on his arm to one of the holes in the wall. "Before the Dementors do."

She nipped his finger, perhaps rather harder than she would ordinarily have done, but hooted softly in a reassuring sort of way all the same. Just like Harry and myself, Hedwig didn't want to see something happen to Sirius. She would get over her annoyance with Harry to save him. Then she spread her wings and took off into the sunrise. Harry and I watched her fly out of sight with the familiar feeling of unease back in my stomach. Why wasn't this helping? I had been so sure that Sirius's reply would alleviate my worries rather than increasing them.

It didn't help that I was still absolutely positive that something was wrong with Moody. "You alright?" I asked Harry, noticing that he was a little on the pale side.

He looked as nervous as I felt. "Fine," Harry said, shrugging gently. "She'll get over it."

"She still loves you," I said, motioning to Hedwig's retreating form.

"Have you heard from Remus lately?" Harry asked, likely trying to change the subject.

I'd heard from Remus much less than I would have liked. I would have loved having him around more often - just as I would have loved having Sirius around more often. "Once at the beginning of the summer," I admitted sadly. "Just checking in with the family and letting us know that he was getting settled somewhere off the grid. He wanted to make sure that we knew that he was okay and that we weren't worried."

Having him around in person would have been better but I hadn't seen him since the day he had left Hogwarts at the end of last year. "Do you think he'll be able to get another job?" Harry asked worriedly.

"It won't be easy but I think he'll find something," I said honestly. It was never easy for a werewolf to find work. Not as soon as people knew what they were. I was about to reassure him further when I heard Harry's stomach rumbling. Mine likely wasn't far behind. "Hungry?"

"Yeah. I didn't eat much last night," Harry muttered.

"Come on, moron. I could use some coffee," I told him.

It was the truth. Coffee was the only thing I needed right now. If I was going to have the jitters, it should have at least been because I was having a caffeine overdose. The two of us both laughed as we turned and made our way out of the Owlery together. We quickly darted down the stairs and out into the Great Hall. The rest of the school were already making their way into their seats eating their breakfasts. I glanced over and spotted Cedric sitting at the Hufflepuff table. He turned back at the same moment and winked at me. I smiled back, taking a seat at the Gryffindor table.

We took our seats and immediately began pouring into our food. Or, in my case, the coffee pot. "That was a lie, Harry," Hermione said sharply over our breakfasts, somehow already wide-awake and ready for chiding when Harry told her and Ron what we had done. "You didn't imagine your scar hurting and you know it. It's no coincidence that you both had the same dream and the same pains."

"So, what?" Harry asked.

Our momentary nerves were no big deal. Not in comparison with what Sirius was facing. "It doesn't matter. Our mild discomfort for a moment is nothing compared to what would happen to him if he were caught," I snapped back at her.

"He's not going back to Azkaban because of us," Harry added.

"Drop it," Ron said sharply to Hermione as she opened her mouth to argue some more, and for once, Hermione heeded him, and fell silent.

Harry and I both did our bests not to worry about Sirius over the next couple of weeks. We had agreed that it was better to pretend that everything was okay rather than go nuts worrying. True, we couldn't stop ourselves from looking anxiously around every morning when the post owls arrived, nor, late at night before I went to sleep, prevent myself from seeing horrible visions of Sirius, cornered by Dementors down some dark London street, but between times I tried to keep my mind off my godfather. At least we would know immediately if something went wrong.

I'd already debated on saying something to Cedric about what was going on. I wanted to ask his opinion - as he always gave me an honest one - but that would also mean telling him about Sirius and what had happened at the end of the prior year. We had all promised Sirius that we wouldn't say anything about his life and I wouldn't. Not even to Cedric. So, I settled with keeping my worries in my mind. Mine and Harry's. Maybe one day - after Cedric and I had both graduated from Hogwarts - I would tell him the truth about my godfather.

More than anything I wished I still had Quidditch to distract me; nothing worked so well on a troubled mind as a good, hard training session. We were free to use the Pitch if we wanted, but I didn't want to be out there alone. Harry and I had gone out together one afternoon but it was obvious that neither one of us had our minds in the game without everyone else to help out. It especially was tough to work without having Oliver Wood around to yell at us to get our heads in the game.

Since graduating at the end of the prior year, Oliver had kept in relatively good touch. I knew that he took most of the credit for putting together such a good team during his final years at Hogwarts. I had promised that I would keep him informed of everything that was happening during the upcoming season. He frequently wrote letters to me with suggestions on drills to run and how to keep the team working in top form for when the season came around. But it would still be a few weeks before we could get onto the Pitch.

On the other hand, our lessons were becoming more difficult and demanding than ever before, particularly Moody's Defense Against the Dark Arts. Moody might have done some rather interesting lessons but they always seemed to be pushing things a little too far. Unlike many of the other students, I still despised Moody more than anything else. I was slowly growing to hate him even more than Snape. The other students seemed to love him or at least love his teaching methods, but I didn't. I thought that they were cruel.

Much to all of our surprises, Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of us in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether we could resist its effects. A long silence echoed throughout the classroom following his announcements as we all gazed back and forth between each other to see how everyone else was reacting. No one, not even the Slytherin's seemed to like the idea of Moody putting an Unforgivable Curse on them. Even more surprising was the fact that no one said anything against him.

At least, that was until I decided to speak up. "Are you kidding?" I asked Moody.

"Do I look like I'm kidding, Nox?" Moody growled.

 _Tell him that you didn't mean to be rude, Tara._ "Did you tell Professor Dumbledore that you were planning this lesson?" I asked instead.

This wasn't the way I meant to approach that subject. Three sets of feet simultaneously stomped down on my own. Harry, Ron, and Hermione drove the heels of their feet into my own. I leaned forward and groaned in pain from the sudden pressure, wishing desperately that my best friends were anywhere but near me right now. Seamus and Dean both whacked me in the back for my stupidity. The class went deathly silent as Moody stalked toward me, looking infuriated with my comments. I straightened up, ignoring the searing pain in my feet.

"The lesson has been cleared with Professor Dumbledore. If you question my teaching methods one more time, it'll be the last time you ever set foot in my classroom," Moody hissed, his voice becoming lower and practically echoing through the room. My spine curled slightly at his tone of voice. It sounded like he meant that he would kill me. "I'll be sure you have Defense Against the Dark Arts removed from your schedule. Would you like that?"

Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything. "No... sir," I muttered.

I wasn't the only one concerned about Moody's lesson plan for the day. "But - But you said it's illegal, Professor," Hermione said uncertainly as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the room. I swallowed thickly, knowing Moody wouldn't appreciate being questioned a second time. "You said - to use it against another human was -"

"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," Moody said, his magical eye swiveling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. It then swiveled to me, seemingly narrowing into a glare, before turning back to Hermione. "If you'd rather learn the hard way - when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely - fine by me. You're excused. Off you go."

I couldn't help but believe that his comment was for both Hermione and I. Moody pointed one gnarled finger toward the door. I glanced at Hermione but she wouldn't meet my eyes. Instead, Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave. It was the same way that I felt. Harry and Ron grinned at each other. I was staying more because of my stubbornness but they both knew Hermione would rather eat bubotuber pus than miss such an important lesson.

As Moody began muttering to himself again, Harry leaned over to me. "See?" he whispered. I barely glanced in his direction. "Dumbledore approved it. He wants it to be done this way."

"Doubt it," I whispered back.

Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them. I watched as, one by one, my classmates did the most extraordinary things under its influence. Dean Thomas hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Neville performed a series of quite astonishing gymnastics he would certainly not have been capable of in his normal state. Not one of them seemed to be able to fight off the curse, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it.

"Potter, you next," Moody growled.

Harry's knees seemed locked for the moment. I reached forward and took his hand for a brief moment. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to have to go. I was hoping to avoid being under the curse at all. We wouldn't have enough time for everyone. But I also wasn't planning on hiding in the back of the classroom like Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin's seemed to be doing. Once I had released his arm, Harry moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Moody had cleared of desks.

Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and said, ' _Imperio_!"

Harry bent his knees obediently, preparing to spring. I could only assume that he was being ordered to jump onto the desk he was in front of. But it appeared that he was having an internal battle with himself. The only person who had so far. A few long beats passed where Harry did an awkward jig. Then there was a loud bang. Harry had both jumped and tried to prevent himself from jumping - the result was that he'd smashed headlong into the desk knocking it over, and was now groaning whilst covering his knees with his hands. I couldn't help but snort with laughter.

"Now, that's more like it!" Moody growled. "Look at that, you lot... Potter fought! He fought it, and he damn near beat it! We'll try that again, Potter, and the rest of you, pay attention - watch his eyes, that's where you see it - very good, Potter, very good indeed! They'll have trouble controlling you!"

Harry didn't look nearly as thrilled as Moody did. As he limped back over to me, I smiled up at him. "You okay?" I asked, reaching around to rest my hand on his back.

"I think I broke my knees," Harry said, reaching down to his knees again.

Before I got the chance to speak again, Moody's voice echoed back through the classroom. "Nox." I glanced up, feeling the color drain from my face. "Why don't you give it a try?"

It wasn't a question. "Okay," I muttered.

I slowly walked into the center of the room and waited. Moody very quickly raised his wand, stared me dead in the eyes, and said, " _Imperio_!"

For a few moments, perhaps far too long, I waited for the curse to hit me. I wasn't sure what was supposed to happen. No one had said yet. But everyone had seemingly reacted immediately. Was I supposed to be feeling something? Did Moody cast the curse incorrectly? Doubtful. I stared at Moody, who stared back at me, looking just as confused. The rest of the class began muttering among themselves. Everyone had looked kind of blank when they had taken their turns. But I felt... normal. It didn't feel like any spell had hit me.

Naturally, just as I thought that I heard a voice. " _Do a cartwheel._ "

I jumped nearly a foot in the air as I barely managed to bite my tongue to keep from screaming. That wasn't Moody. I was almost positive that I wasn't supposed to be hearing something like that. It took me a moment to realize that I knew the voice. I recognized it as the same one that had helped me during my History of Magic exam and in the dungeons with Voldemort during my First Year and in the Chamber of Secrets during my Second Year. I wasn't sure how well it would work, but I tried to force thoughts back to it.

" _What? I can't do that!_ "

" _Do it now!_ " the voice responded.

I had to do something. I'd been still for too long. I knew that I might end up embarrassing myself, but I also knew that the voice was right. This was the right thing to do. Something had gone wrong with the curse and I needed to pretend that it hadn't. Especially with Moody watching. So, I took a step back and launched myself into a surprisingly decent cartwheel. I straightened up quickly, trying to put the same stupefied look on my face that everyone before me had had on theirs. Moody and the rest of the class stared at me suspiciously.

It felt like hours passed before Moody finally spoke. "You looked a little confused, Nox."

"No. I understood. Do a cartwheel," I answered coldly.

"You seemed hesitant," Moody commented.

He knew. He knew that something was wrong. I knew that the smart thing would have been to say something, but I also knew that I couldn't. Not to him. But still... for a brief moment, I almost considered admitting that I had felt nothing. " _Lie_ ," the voice snapped.

"No," I told Moody. "I just tried to fight it off."

Moody nodded disbelievingly. "Hmm. We'll try again tomorrow."

My head moved in a nod of its own accord. As Moody turned back to Harry, likely to make him try the curse again, as he had been the most successful so far, I heard the voice again. " _Tell no one._ "

" _What just happened?_ " I asked it.

But the voice was gone. I couldn't find the owner, just as I never could unless it contacted me. I spent the vast majority of the rest of the lesson being horrified over what had just happened. The curse worked perfectly on everyone else. Even Harry looked to be having a hard time fighting it. But no one else said anything. No one else seemed to have the same problem I had. I barely listened during the rest of the class. Harry had to reach over and pull me from the classroom when the lesson was over. I hadn't even heard Moody dismiss us.

"The way he talks," Harry muttered as he hobbled out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class an hour later (Moody had insisted on putting Harry through his paces four times in a row, until Harry could throw off the curse entirely). "You'd think we were all going to be attacked any second."

"Yeah, I know," Ron agreed, who was skipping on every alternate step. He had had much more difficulty with the curse than Harry, though Moody assured him the effects would wear off by lunchtime. "Talk about paranoid..." Ron glanced nervously over his shoulder to check that Moody was definitely out of earshot and went on. "No wonder they were glad to get shot of him at the Ministry. Did you hear him telling Seamus what he did to that witch who shouted 'Boo' behind him on April Fools' Day? And when are we supposed to read up on resisting the Imperius Curse with everything else we've got to do?"

Hermione was the only other one not speaking. She hadn't gotten a chance with the curse. I assumed she was horrified, though. She was far paler than normal. And I could no longer tolerate listening to the boys. Without warning, I turned and walked off. My friends all called after me but I ignored them. I had to get away from here and clear my head. I had to talk to someone else. Someone who wouldn't want me to go straight to Dumbledore. I might have felt like I was going slowly insane, but I didn't want to go to the headmaster.

At the moment, I just wanted to be free of all this insanity. I wanted to be a normal student who got to enjoy a normal year at Hogwarts. Not dealing with whatever ridiculous shit came up in the new school year. I wandered through the hallways for a few minutes before ultimately settling on heading upstairs to the library. I wandered up the stairs, brushing past all of the students heading to dinner, before walking into the library and past Madam Pince's desk. Cedric, just as expected, was at a table in the far corner. I walked up to him, glad to see that he was alone.

"Has Moody used the Imperius Curse on your class?" I asked as I sat down across from him.

Cedric slowly glanced up from his work and stared at me for a long time. "Did your mother never teach you to say hello to begin a conversation?" he asked. I stared blankly at him. Cedric let out a deep breath. "I haven't even had my morning tea yet, Tara."

"It's three in the afternoon," I pointed out.

Cedric smiled. "You and the point are complete strangers."

"Then use a different metaphor," I said.

We both laughed as Cedric leaned back in his chair and I leaned forward in my own, putting my feet up on the crossbars of his chair. "What were you asking about the Imperius Curse?" Cedric asked, placing a hand on my knee.

"When we were in class today Moody had us practice trying to break the Imperius Curse. He was using it on us!" I hissed, ducking down as Madam Pince spun her beady eyes on me. When I looked back at Cedric I noticed that he had a slightly concerned look on his face but appeared to be weighing the situation in his mind. "Yes, I understand that it is a useful skill to have. But… it's wrong. You know it is."

Cedric was silent for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I agree. Using an Unforgivable Curse on a student - even for practical reasons - is vile."

"So?"

"He might not have the nicest way of approaching studies but he is serious about teaching the students to defend themselves," Cedric reasoned. Why did no one else see it? He was insane. The voice in my head seemed to agree that something was mistrusting about Moody. I shook my head, leaning down into my arms. "Something else is bothering you."

Yes. There was something else bothering me. I gave a quick glance around to ensure that no one was listening when I told Cedric what had happened. I was about to open my mouth when it shouted, " _Tell no one!_ "

I jumped slightly, snapping my jaws shut. " _Why not?_ " I asked it.

" _Tell no one!_ " it repeated.

But what was the point of keeping it secret? I was more than frustrated with the voice in my head but ultimately decided to just tell another damn lie. Cedric would have just insisted that I go to Dumbledore to tell him what was going on and I didn't want to do that. I wasn't sure why, but I had always been so hesitant to tell other people about my problems. The Imperius Curse was just going to be another problem for another day. In the meantime, I had to deal with Cedric, who was still waiting for an answer.

"He's just so twisted, Cedric," I groaned, smacking my hand on the table angrily. "Something is wrong and no one understands that!"

"Go talk to Dumbledore about it if it bothers you that much," Cedric suggested.

Why was that what everyone suggested? "No," I said.

"Why not?" Cedric asked.

"You think I'm nuts," I reasoned. "Won't Dumbledore think I'm nuts too?"

Cedric laughed. "I don't think Dumbledore has the right to call anyone nuts." I cracked the slightest smile. "I don't think you're nuts. I think you're a little neurotic about this thing but I don't think you're nuts," Cedric said. I guessed that was worth something. But I still blew out a puff of air as I leaned forward on my hands again. Cedric rested a hand over my own. "Okay. How about we look at it this way. What's your problem with Moody? No one seems to despise him quite the way you do."

"I just get the feeling that something's wrong," I muttered dumbly.

"Like?" Cedric asked.

I shrugged slightly. "Can't explain it. Which is exactly why I don't want to go to Dumbledore. I've got no genuinely good reason not to like Moody," I admitted. Cedric nodded. "I just don't. I just get the feeling that he's not right."

"Did you ever consider that you might be overreacting slightly?" Cedric asked.

"Trust me, I've considered that many times," I growled.

Maybe I was overreacting... So, why did I still feel like something was wrong? Cedric smiled as he leaned forward, wrapping his hand around my shin. "Maybe you just need to relax. You've been on edge for weeks," he said.

"I'd love to but I have History of Magic next and then homework afterward," I said irritably.

Unfortunately, I had to keep up with my schoolwork. I knew that both Fourth and Fifth Years were some of the most important at Hogwarts. "How incredibly important is attending History of Magic today?" Cedric asked.

Or, I could revert to my old ways. "Depends what's being offered," I teased.

Cedric laughed. "Come with me."

One day of missing classes wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I giggled slightly as Cedric wrapped a hand around my own and tugged me up from the table, out of the library, and downstairs. The two of us wound in and out of the hallways, between the students who were actually on their way to class, for a while before coming to a stop in front of the entrance to the Prefect bathroom. We had barely made it there without getting caught by any of the teachers. When Cedric gave the opening spell and the door closed behind us, the water to the bathroom immediately started flowing.

We both dropped our bags as we wandered over toward the large bathtub. I smiled as I drank in the scent of roses. "You'd think that Dumbledore would have put a spell on here that keeps boys and girls from being able to be in here at the same time," I commented.

"Do you want to give him ideas?" Cedric asked.

"No, I don't," I said suddenly.

It was just something I had thought about. Maybe Dumbledore was a little bit cooler than I had ever given him credit for. Especially as people who weren't Prefects could get in and both genders could enter at the same time. We both laughed again as Cedric walked over to the towel rack and grabbed two large ones, throwing them on the floor for us to lay down on. We seated ourselves across from each other as we spread out our work and the few snacks we had between us, almost immediately starting our studying.

In the back of my mind, I knew that I would get chewed out by Harry and Ron for being here with Cedric. Not that I would tell them where exactly I had been during the afternoon. Hermione would be my bigger problem. She wouldn't be happy that I had missed class for nothing more than a little date with my boyfriend. But I didn't mind. Wasn't that part of the fun of having a boyfriend? Getting to have the little moments of careless fun like these - moments that I would so desperately miss when he graduated next year.

So, I had to take these moments to enjoy myself while I could. "What would it take to get you to do my Astronomy homework?" I asked Cedric, breaking the long silence.

He looked up at me disbelievingly. "You're so lazy!" he chuckled, throwing a quill at me. "Do it yourself."

"Oh, come on! Be helpful," I whined.

"I'm plenty helpful," Cedric huffed. "But I do insist that you do your homework."

"I hate Astronomy..." I muttered.

"Because you're bad at it."

"Am not!"

"Yes, you are."

Well, he wasn't exactly wrong. Astronomy was one of my worst subjects. Not that I was planning on admitting that to him. "Whatever. There are other things that I'm much better at," I huffed.

Cedric's eyebrow tilted upward. "Oh?"

Oops. That certainly wasn't what I'd meant to say. At least, that wasn't the way that I'd meant for it to come out. I glanced over at Cedric slowly, noticing that he had a playful smile on his face. A stupid laugh escaped my throat. While I didn't mean it that way, I also didn't mind that he'd taken it that way. As time went on, we both seemed to be getting a little bolder. So, I smiled as I brushed aside my Astronomy homework. I hadn't wanted to do it anyway. Cedric leaned into me at the same time and wrapped a hand behind my neck to pull me into him.

We were brought into what began as a quick kiss. Cedric's fingers were gently twisted around the baby hairs on the back of my neck as our mouths gently ran together. It was just a brief moment before I began to pull back to return to my work. But I never got the chance. Cedric's fingers wrapped back around my neck to tighten his grip on me. I slowly reached up to wrap my hand around his wrist, holding him in place, feeling my stomach give a slight jolt. I smiled into the kiss, moving into Cedric and using my foot to kick my things away.

One of his arms worked their way to my back to pull me half onto him. I wasn't quite sure exactly how long we spent together, but clearly, neither one of us were in the mood for moving away. The fog in my brain that I had become so accustomed to continued to spread over my body to the point that I barely knew what I was doing. All I knew was that we were playing a dangerous game. One day I would forget to stop. But, for the moment, I didn't mind. I didn't stop Cedric as he wrapped a hand around my back, leaning me down against the towels as the room grew progressively warmer.

In the back of my mind, through the fog, I knew that we shouldn't have continued. I knew that the two of us should have left. But I wasn't able to bring myself to break away from him. I didn't care about anything other than the fact that I was enjoying myself for the moment. Cedric's hands had wound underneath the gray sweater vest and white shirt that I was wearing to rest against the bare skin of my hips, running themselves along to my spine. I moved my hands up underneath his shirt to rest my hands at the bottom of his stomach.

Ultimately, the only thing that finally separated us was the clanging of the bells, alerting the students to the end of the day. Much to my surprise, neither one of us seemed too excited to bounce apart. Instead, we slowly pulled apart, retracting our hands and pulling each other back upright. Even once we had finally managed to peel ourselves off of each other, Cedric still kissed me gently. I rested my head against his shoulder for a moment, unwilling to return to the present - more homework and perhaps a conversation for what had just happened.

"That's probably our cue that we should go," I muttered against his shoulder.

"Agreed," Cedric gasped, breathing heavily.

Without looking at each other, we pulled apart and began reaching around the bathroom to gather our things. Before I could lose the nerve, I said, "Should we talk about it?"

Cedric turned back to face me with a slight smile on his lips. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked knowingly.

"Not really," I said. I thought about ending it there but I knew that there was still something to be said. "But I'm starting to think we should."

Cedric let out a deep breath and nodded. He walked up to me and took my hands. My heart skipped a beat. I _really_ didn't want to talk about it. "Okay. Are you there yet?" he asked plainly.

"No," I said immediately. But there was a hint of doubt in my voice. "I don't know."

He smiled. "Then you let me know when you are."

"Okay."

Was that all the conversation that it took? I supposed that, for now, it was. We didn't have to say anything more. Especially when Cedric knew that the topic still made me uncomfortable. I was extremely relieved that simply asking me for my approval was all he wanted to say. By now I knew that he had indicated to me that he was ready but he had also let it be known that the ball was now in my court. And right now I wasn't ready to make my move. So, I smiled as Cedric took me by the waist and pulled me in for another kiss. A smaller one this time.

When we pulled apart, Cedric nodded toward the door. "Slip out first," he said, handing me over my bag. "I'll clean up."

"Thank you. For everything," I said, squeezing his hand gently.

Cedric smiled. "Anytime."

"And for being understanding," I added bashfully.

My head was still very mixed up on that topic. It seemed wrong to me but perhaps that was because I'd never heard any of my friends talk about it and I was a little too nervous to bring it up around Harry or Ron. "I'll never push you," Cedric said, brushing stray hairs back off of my face. "You just tell me what you want."

"Okay," I agreed, nodding at him. "See you at dinner?"

"See you there."

Perhaps it was time that I had a conversation with Hermione with no one else around. After all, she was the only female friend that I had that I was close enough to who I could ask about it. I could have asked Mom, but I was terrified of that letter getting intercepted by Dad. That would be awful. I leaned forward and gave Cedric another small kiss before turning and heading to the door of the Prefect bathroom, slipping gently out into the hallway. I was immediately relieved to see that I was the only person out there.

Or, so I'd thought. "That's not where your class is," the teasing voice of Fred Weasley came.

My head snapped back around. He was at the end of the hallway and looked quite interested to see why I was so far away from my class. "Where's the other one?" I asked, trying to distract him.

It was rare to see Fred without George. "Library. Doing research. I was just on my way to join him," Fred explained.

"Ah," I nodded, brushing my hair back into place. "Well don't let me stop you."

Fred glanced around curiously. "What are you doing out here?"

"Nothing," I said immediately. Fred didn't look the slightest bit convinced by that explanation. "Walking. Trying to clear my head."

"It's already clear," Fred teased.

"Asshole," I snapped, making him laugh. I watched him for a moment before grabbing his arm playfully, trying to yank him away from the door before Cedric came out. "Okay, come on, I'll escort you to the library."

Fred grinned. "Why the hurry?"

"I'm not in a hurry. I'm just... I'm tired."

"From wandering the castle?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Can we go?" I asked, trying not to make it sound too urgent.

It would likely only be a few more moments until Cedric tried to come out and get back to the Hufflepuff Common Room. I wanted to get out of here before I had to face that awkward conversation. Naturally, I should have known that it wasn't going to work out like that. Just as Fred looked like he might have let my awkwardness go and walk off with me, the door to the Prefect bathroom creaked open and Cedric stepped out, looking shocked to see that I was still there. I was well aware of just how awful we both looked right now, exactly why my face burned with embarrassment.

Cedric visibly swallowed a lump in his throat. "Fred," he greeted.

"Cedric," Fred replied tensely.

Just about every swear word that I knew shot through my head at the immensely awkward exchange. It became very obvious very quickly that neither one of us had any idea what we were supposed to say. It became almost comical at how long the two of us stood there staring at each other. Cedric finally gave me a quick nod before turning on his heels and walking off, leaving Fred and I looking at each other, both clearly stunned out of words. He knew that this was a conversation meant to be had between the two of us. He didn't need to be here for it.

A long time passed that we were silent. Fred looked as upset as I felt stupid. "Really?" he finally asked.

Did everyone always jump to that conclusion when it came to the two of us? "That's not what it looked like," I said defensively. Fred just looked at me. "I just wanted to get out of class and we came here to do homework. We'd have gotten yelled at by Madam Pince and obviously, we can't go to either one of our Common Rooms since we're not in the same House."

"That's all that was? Homework?" Fred asked.

My heart sank to the floor. He was one of my best friends and he wouldn't take my word for it? "You think that little of me?" I asked quietly.

Fred's nasty look faded a little. "I'm not -"

"You are," I interrupted. He was calling me out for something I hadn't done. "Thanks."

If he was just going to believe that I would have done something like that even when I said I hadn't, I wasn't planning on staying. So, I turned and started to walk off. "Tara!" Fred's voice barked. I didn't turn back so Fred ran after me, grabbing my arm to stop me. "That's not what I meant. You know it isn't."

For a moment we just stared at each other. "I know," I admitted quietly.

"I would never say that about you," Fred said. "It's just -"

But he never finished his thought. He stopped talking, instead, just staring at me. "Just?" I prompted. Fred still didn't speak, looking like he was at a loss for words. "That you've known me too long? I'm like a little sister to you and the very idea grosses you out?"

There was a smile on my face, but an odd look on Fred's. Eventually, he nodded. "Something like that."

The air in the room was too heavy. I had to do something. "Come on, Freddie. I've already got Ron and Harry to act as big brothers. I don't need another one. You're _the_ rule breaker. Don't tell me you're getting soft," I teased, nudging him on the shoulder.

Fred nodded. "Alright."

"Bad day?" I asked.

"Why?" Fred asked, looking surprised.

"I don't know. You just look... put out."

"I'm fine."

He wasn't fine. "You need a hug," I said.

It was very rare that Fred looked upset the way he did right now. I wanted to know what was going on with him but I also knew that this was the wrong time to push him. So, I decided to just settle with a hug. For a moment, Fred looked like he might try to push him off of himself, but he relaxed and let me hug him. The two of us remained locked together for a long time, my head tucked into his chest before I was finally the first person to pull away. We smiled at each other as Fred wrapped an arm over my shoulder and we began the hike back to Gryffindor Tower.

We were bounding up the stairs when I nudged Fred gently. He glanced down at me curiously. "What about you, Casanova? Got any interesting prospects?" I asked.

"A couple," Fred said mysteriously.

"Not going to tell me who?"

"None of your business who."

"You know about mine!"

"You've made it quite obvious."

That wasn't fair. I might have been dating Cedric but Fred had known about him long before we'd been together. Even before I had thought I'd made it that obvious. Now it was his turn. "Come on... Tell me," I goaded.

Fred stared down at the stone floor as we walked. "Angelina's not bad," he said quietly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Johnson?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah."

Really? "Oh."

"What?" Fred asked.

"Nothing. No. Angelina's cool," I told him quickly. "I like her. Yeah, she's a good choice."

But something about that potential pairing didn't sit right with me. I knew that it was slightly selfish - very selfish, as a matter of fact - but I didn't like the idea of Fred dating someone. Especially not someone I knew. I liked that he spent so much of his spare time messing with me. Not chasing after someone. But that wasn't right of me. If Fred was happy... I supposed that that was the only thing that mattered. After all, I had always liked Angelina. I adored Fred. I should have been happy for them. Why wasn't I happy for them?

My annoyance over Fred's admission to who he liked was quite obvious. "You don't sound like you think it's a good choice," Fred said curiously.

"I do. I think she'd be good for you," I said honestly.

The truth was that Angelina _would_ be good for Fred. I couldn't figure out exactly why it was bothering me the way it was. "Don't worry. I'll still have plenty of time to harass you," Fred told me.

"Oh, lucky me," I groaned.

Did he know what was bothering me? I couldn't put my thumb on it. So, I laughed softly as Fred wrapped an arm around me and tugged me into his side. We stayed wrapped together as we wandered through the halls and up toward Gryffindor Tower. It wasn't long before we arrived in front of the Fat Lady, giving her the password, and entering the Common Room. Not even a full second passed before I was met with nasty glares from Ron, Harry, and especially Hermione. I blushed slightly as I walked up to them. Fred followed at a slight distance behind me.

"Where were you?" all three asked together.

Before I got the chance to open my mouth and come up with some stupid excuse, George walked up to our other side. "Where were you?" he asked his twin. "We were supposed to meet in the library."

"Sorry. We got caught up in a fight with Peeves. Avoiding his water balloons," Fred told the others.

Some color returned to my face at his excuse. "Damned poltergeist," Ron huffed.

George nodded. "Ah. Well, come on. We're running out of time."

Was that all this was going to come for? I needed Fred around to come up with excuses for me more often. As everyone went back to what they were doing before, I grabbed Fred and pulled him back to me. "Hey. Thanks for that," I said quietly.

Fred shrugged. "What are friends for?"

We smiled at each other as I leaned up and pressed a kiss against Fred's cheek. He gave me a quick wink as I turned and sat down with my friends. It was a quiet night filled with finishing my homework. Not to mention my constant attempts to dodge Hermione's questions about why I hadn't even attempted to come to class earlier. But the night was otherwise peaceful. The only thing I noticed was that I seemed to be watching Angelina and Fred more often than normal. But it must have just been because I was curious...

Thankfully, I didn't have long to think about the potential relationship between Fred and Angelina. All the Fourth Years, myself included, had noticed a definite increase in the amount of work we were required to do this term. It made it almost impossible to do anything other than sit in the library or Common Room and study. Professor McGonagall was forced to explain why when the class gave a particularly loud groan at the amount of Transfiguration homework she had assigned.

"You are now entering a most important phase of your magical education!" she barked at us, her eyes glinting dangerously behind her square spectacles. "Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are drawing closer -"

"We don't take O.W.L.s till Fifth Year!" Dean Thomas said indignantly.

"Which is next year, Dean," I pointed out quietly.

"Very true, Nox," Professor McGonagall said, nodding in my direction. "Maybe not, Thomas, but believe me, you need all the preparation you can get! Miss Granger and Miss Nox remain the only people in this class who have managed to turn a hedgehog into a satisfactory pincushion. I might remind you that your pincushion, Thomas, still curls up in fright if anyone approaches it with a pin!"

Hermione, who had turned rather pink again, seemed to be trying not to look too pleased with herself. I, on the other hand, leaned back in my chair carelessly and began scribbling away on the corner of my notebook. Turning a hedgehog into a pincushion wasn't that hard. But I had always been rather good with Transfiguration - partially because it had been one of the core classes taught during the summer lessons at Ilvermorny. Here at Hogwarts, I had long since noticed that a lot of students seemed to have problems with it.

A while passed that Professor McGonagall continued to teach more methods to use to turn the hedgehogs into pincushions. In the meantime, Dean leaned over and hissed, "Tara!"

I glanced up from my notebook. "What?"

"Want to help?" Dean asked, grinning at me.

"No, but since I like you, I will anyway," I said honestly.

"You're the best," Dean chirped.

We smirked at each other as we turned back, taking down notes for the rest of the class. Harry, Ron, and I were deeply amused when, later that afternoon, Professor Trelawney told us that we had received top marks for our homework we had completely made up. She read out large portions of our predictions, commending us for our unflinching acceptance of the horrors in store for us - but we were less amused when she asked us to do the same thing for the month after next; we were all running out of ideas for catastrophes. I had made Cedric start giving me ideas.

Meanwhile, Professor Binns, the ghost who taught History of Magic, had us writing weekly essays on the goblin rebellions of the eighteenth century. Unsurprisingly, he hadn't even noticed that I'd missed his prior class. Professor Snape was forcing us to research countless antidotes. We took this one seriously, as he had hinted that he might be poisoning one of us before Christmas to see if our antidote worked. Harry, more than likely. Professor Flitwick had asked us to read three extra books in preparation for our lesson on Summoning Charms.

Professor Vector had made Arithmancy so difficult that I almost wished I hadn't taken it. I might have loved numbers, but having to use numbers to predict the future made me want to pitch myself off the Astronomy Tower. Ancient Runes seemed to be one of the easiest classes I had at the moment, but the constant memorizing was starting to overwhelm me. I still loved taking Music. As it wasn't an O.W.L. class, I didn't have to worry about having an exam in it so I got to spend two hours a week in the classroom forgetting about the rest of my problems.

Even Hagrid was adding to our workload. No one could believe that the normally laid-back professor was now one of the ones who kept us the busiest. The Blast-Ended Skrewts were growing at a remarkable pace given that nobody had yet discovered what they ate. I made sure to avoid them at all costs. I wasn't quite unconvinced that they were eating the First Years... Hagrid was, of course, delighted, and as part of our 'project,' suggested that we come down to his hut on alternate evenings to observe the skrewts and make notes on their extraordinary behavior.

"I will not," Draco Malfoy said flatly when Hagrid had proposed that with the air of Father Christmas pulling an extra-large toy out of his sack. "I see enough of these foul things during lessons, thanks."

Hagrid's smile faded off his face. "Yeh'll do wha' yer told, or I'll be takin' a leaf outta Professor Moody's book... I hear yeh made a good ferret, Malfoy," he growled.

The Gryffindor's roared with laughter. Malfoy flushed with anger, but apparently, the memory of Moody's punishment was still sufficiently painful to stop him from retorting. I turned to him and winked, knowing that it would upset both him and Parkinson. It worked wonders. Neither one made a peep for the rest of the lesson. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I returned to the castle at the end of the lesson in high spirits; seeing Hagrid put down Malfoy was particularly satisfying, especially because Malfoy had done his very best to get Hagrid sacked the previous year.

As the class headed back up toward the castle, I listened to Malfoy tear Hagrid a new one to the rest of his House. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer. "Upset that Daddy's money can't buy you out of everything?" I snapped, turning back to him.

Malfoy's eyes bulged. "What did you just say to me?"

"Deaf now, too?" I said.

The Gryffindor's - who had all been at the front of the pack - chirped with laughter as they watched Malfoy's stupefied looks. I was almost surprised that Malfoy seemed to be letting this one go. He didn't respond. Maybe this time he didn't have anything to say back. I huffed quietly, bored with his reaction. I had always enjoyed when Malfoy played into my traps. But at least this brief interaction would stop any potential rumors about one of us liking the other if we stopped speaking. It would have helped if he had never spoken to me again.

When we arrived in the entrance hall a few minutes later, we found ourselves unable to proceed owing to the large crowd of students congregated there, all milling around a large sign that had been erected at the foot of the marble staircase. All I was able to do was shove a few of the younger students out of my way before coming to a blockade compromised of Sixth and Seventh Years. Ron, the tallest of the four of us, stood on tiptoe to see over the heads in front of us. He was silent for too long for my liking.

"Hey, Gigantor, what does it say?" I snapped at Ron.

He turned back with a scowl. "Really?"

"Oh, come on! You can see it!" I argued.

Ron snorted. "Sure, pipsqueak."

Well, that was rude... "Had that one coming, I guess," I muttered. Ron turned back and read aloud for the rest of us to hear.

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY -

"Brilliant!" Harry interrupted. "It's Potions last thing on Friday! Snape won't have time to poison us all!"

I laughed quietly. "I think he'll always find time to poison you," I told him.

STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORE THE WELCOMING FEAST.

Now _that_ was exciting. Finally, we would have a break from schoolwork. "Only a week away!" Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff said, emerging from the crowd, his eyes gleaming. "I wonder if Cedric knows?" I was about to open my mouth and tell him that Cedric had been keeping a close eye on the tournament when Ernie continued speaking. "Think I'll go and tell him..."

"Or... I could have done that," I muttered as Ernie hurried off. Hermione giggled. I didn't want to be around Cedric while everyone else was fawning over him anyway. I preferred to be with him when we were alone. "Whatever, I'll let his fan club deal with that."

"Cedric?" Ron asked blankly.

"Diggory. Tara's boyfriend," Harry explained.

"I know that," Ron huffed. "What about him?"

"He must be entering the tournament," Harry said.

"Is he?" Hermione asked me.

"Heavily debating on it," I answered.

Hermione gave a slight smile as Harry and Ron scowled at each other. "That idiot, Hogwarts champion?" Ron asked as we pushed our way through the chattering crowd toward the staircase.

"Ron!" I snapped.

There was no need to start insulting my boyfriend. Not that I wasn't used to it by now. Much to my surprise, Hermione was the first to jump to his defense. "He's not an idiot. You just don't like him because he beat Gryffindor at Quidditch. And because he's dating Tara," she said.

"That's the best reason not to like him," Ron pointed out.

"That doesn't give you a real reason not to like him," I huffed.

"Plus, I've heard he's a really good student. Right?" Hermione added, asking me.

"Yeah," I told her. He was one of the top students in his year. I turned slightly to nod at Harry and Ron. "He's got better grades than either one of you do."

Harry and Ron groaned at me. "And he's a Prefect," Hermione added.

She spoke as though that settled the matter. Harry and Ron shared an incredulous look as I gave her a slight smile. "You only like him because he's handsome," Ron said scathingly.

"Excuse me, I don't like people just because they're handsome!" Hermione yelped indignantly.

"Uh, excuse me?" I said, waving my hands in front of them.

Were they going to start talking about how handsome Cedric was in front of me? Hermione blushed slightly as Ron looked over at me and shrugged. "That doesn't mean anything about you," he said.

"Do you not know how the female species works?" I snapped.

It didn't matter. We were all naturally jealous people. Even if we didn't necessarily like it about ourselves. "I do not like people just because they're handsome! And I certainly don't like anyone who has anything romantic to do with Tara!" Hermione said loudly.

"Thanks," I muttered awkwardly.

Ron gave a loud false cough, which sounded oddly like 'Lockhart!' I wasn't the only one to grin at Ron's brief statement. Even though I had always hated Lockhart and everything to do with him, I couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter. Hermione was so bright red, embarrassed over her previous actions, that she stuttered dumbly and walked off, not bothering to talk to any of us for the rest of the day. It certainly led to a lot of jokes about Hermione's affection for our old Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the rest of the day.

The appearance of the sign for the Triwizard Tournament in the entrance hall had a marked effect upon the inhabitants of the castle. No one seemed to be acting normally in the days that followed. During the following week, there seemed to be only one topic of conversation, no matter where I went: the Triwizard Tournament. Just as expected, Cedric was planning on entering the tournament. He was nervous, which seemed completely reasonable to me, but had made it very clear to me that he wanted to enter.

Rumors were flying from student to student like highly contagious germs: who was going to try for Hogwarts champion, what the tournament would involve, how the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang differed from ourselves. It was kind of fun to listen to. Rumor had spread pretty quickly that Cedric would be attempting to enlist himself as the Hogwarts champion. I had even asked him what he thought he would be facing if he was chosen. He was convinced that there was no way to guess and that it was more interesting to be surprised.

I noticed too that the castle seemed to be undergoing an extra-thorough cleaning. Several grimy portraits had been scrubbed, much to the displeasure of their subjects, who sat huddled in their frames muttering darkly and wincing as they felt their raw pink faces. The suits of armor were suddenly gleaming and moving without squeaking, and Argus Filch, the caretaker, was behaving so ferociously to any students who forgot to wipe their shoes that he terrified a pair of First-Year girls into hysterics. Other members of the staff seemed oddly tense too.

"Longbottom, kindly do not reveal that you can't even perform a simple Switching Spell in front of anyone from Durmstrang!" Professor McGonagall barked at the end of one particularly difficult lesson, during which Neville had accidentally transplanted his own ears onto a cactus.

It was almost impossible to get away from the constant talk of the Triwizard Tournament. I knew that it was even getting to Cedric so one afternoon I had invited him to hang out and get away from everything. We had gone out to the Black Lake midday to have a picnic and kick around the soccer ball for a while. For what had started as an outing just between the two of us, we were quickly joined by our friends. It had been a nice and peaceful afternoon. At least, until I had kissed him goodbye and walked off as he had plans to go study and I wanted to relax in the Common Room.

I'd made it to the grand staircase in the hall when I was intercepted by Malfoy. "Nox," he said, by way of greeting.

"Goody..." I groaned, slowly turning to face him.

"Is your moronic boyfriend competing in the tournament?" Malfoy asked.

"You _still_ sound like a jealous girlfriend," I teased.

Malfoy looked horrified at the thought. "I hate you," he snapped.

But just as I had for the past few months, I got the feeling that he wasn't completely telling me the truth. "I can tell by the way you seem to like to seek out my company," I told him. Malfoy scowled again. In a moment of playfulness, I threw my hair back over my shoulder and smiled at him. "Not that I can blame you. I really am fun."

Malfoy's eyes darkened for a brief moment and I knew that I had him exactly where I wanted him. "Does he know how fun you are?" Malfoy asked, stepping toward me.

At the moment, no. But... perhaps eventually? Not that I would admit that to Malfoy. I could barely figure out a way to talk to Hermione about it. "Well, he certainly knows better than you do," I teased him. For just a brief moment, I could have sworn that his lips twitched up in amusement. "I'd ask how fun Parkinson knows you are, but I get the feeling that you're not that fun."

Malfoy's face burned slightly. "I'm plenty of fun."

"Doubtful. I've never had fun around you," I told him.

We had kissed once two years ago. I had been so stunned at the moment that I hadn't even stopped to think about what the kiss was really like. Malfoy grinned, walking into me. "We could change that," he said.

Absolutely not. "You're repulsive," I snapped, shoving him back.

Malfoy grinned sleazily at me. "I hear rumors that the two of you -"

Absolutely not! "You don't have anything better to do than listen to those kinds of rumors?" I interrupted him.

I was so sick of the damn broom closet rumors. Those felt like they would never end. "They're hard to escape from," Malfoy growled.

"Do you _really_ care?" I asked.

"I'm interested," Malfoy said, grinning madly.

That was doubtful. "Why? Hoping to see just how lucky you might get?" I asked curiously, grinning playfully at him, which clearly wasn't what he had been expecting. Malfoy stared at me stupidly for a long time. He looked like he was about ready to answer me when I interrupted and spoke over him. "Wait. Let me answer that. Not at all."

Malfoy went from having a slightly starry-eyed gaze to looking absolutely furious. "I wouldn't want to," he snapped.

"No?" I asked curiously.

Another brief silence passed. "Maybe if I could glue your mouth shut first," Malfoy eventually said.

Much to my surprise, I started laughing. If I was being completely fair, Malfoy was actually kind of funny. Not that he was ever going to hear that from me. Our conversations lately seemed to be going from genuinely hateful to somewhat comical. We no longer seemed to be trying to kill each other. We spent more time just harassing each other. And his answer hadn't shocked me. I knew that he liked what I looked like and I knew that I also annoyed him. The feelings were mutual. I laid a hand on his shoulder as I walked up to stand next to him.

He stared at me, obviously surprised by my actions. "Malfoy," I said quietly.

"What?" Malfoy asked curiously.

The two of us stared at each other for a moment, me grinning as Malfoy swallowed thickly. "You'd never stand a chance against him," I said quietly, leaning up on my tip-toes to whisper in his ear. "Just so you know."

The moment that I pulled back, I saw Malfoy's stunned face. He certainly wasn't expecting that, which made my comment all the better. I laughed at the dumbfounded look on Malfoy's face and briefly tightened my grip on his shoulder before releasing him and turning to strut off back toward Gryffindor Tower, hoping that he was watching my hips sway as I walked. I might not have genuinely wanted anything to do with Malfoy, but I would never not enjoy knowing that he was at least physically attracted to me.

A few days later my fifteenth birthday had passed. As everyone had been so excited for the upcoming tournament, we had barely even noticed. Though I had gotten some presents for it. My parents had sent over a new journal, some of my favorite candies, and money to do with as I pleased. Most of my friends had resorted to things we could get inside Hogwarts - snacks they'd brought with them, books they hadn't read, or homemade things. Fred and George had given me some of their new products and stolen food from the kitchens to have a midnight picnic in the Common Room.

It had been a reasonably peaceful day with an entertaining night. The best part of it had been during the day, though. Cedric had caught me early in the morning in the Great Hall. With minimal prodding, he'd ended up convincing me to sneak out of the castle for a few hours to go to Hogsmeade. It had been a fun trip between just the two of us. Since it was the middle of the day during the week there hadn't been that many people out. Every store had been nearly empty and we'd almost had the Three Broomsticks to ourselves.

After spending a few hours hanging around in the stores we had ended up laying out in the grass by the open field just talking and laughing - enjoying the day that we were supposed to be in school. It wasn't until after dinner that we finally got back to Hogwarts. It was only because it was my birthday that Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't drive me out of my mind with questions about where I'd been all day. Somehow, it was another one of those days that I got away with; one that no one besides the two of us would ever really need to know about.

When we went down to breakfast on the morning of October twenty-ninth, we found that the Great Hall had been decorated overnight. Enormous silk banners hung from the walls, each of them representing a Hogwarts House: red with a gold lion for Gryffindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver serpent for Slytherin. Behind the teacher's table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: lion, eagle, badger, and snake united around a large letter H. It was the nicest I'd ever seen Hogwarts.

Not even the end-of-year feasts were this nice. "Fancy," I commented, walking in between Harry and Ron.

"You think they're trying to impress the other schools?" Hermione asked me.

"Duh," I said.

It was what we always did. Whenever we were together, each group of witches and wizards wanted to prove that they were better than the others. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I walked over and sat down beside Fred and George at the Gryffindor table. All sets of our eyes shot over to them. Lately, the twins hadn't seemed right. The only day they'd seemed back to their old selves was on my birthday. Once again, and most unusually, they were sitting apart from everyone else and conversing in low voices. Ron led the way over to them.

"It's a bummer, all right," George was saying gloomily to Fred. "But if he won't talk to us in person, we'll have to send him the letter after all. Or we'll stuff it into his hand. He can't avoid us forever."

He? Who was he? The four of us exchanged a look but none of us seemed to know who they were referencing. "Who's avoiding you?" Ron asked, sitting down next to them.

"Wish you would," Fred said, looking irritated at the interruption.

"Are you two okay?" I asked curiously, taking a seat next to them.

"Fine," they both answered tonelessly.

"What's a bummer?" Ron asked George.

"Having a nosy git like you for a brother," George replied.

"You two got any ideas on the Triwizard Tournament yet?" Harry asked, probably trying to diffuse the quickly rising tension. "Thought any more about trying to enter?"

For a moment I thought I might have seen that familiar spark of life in their eyes. Something was bothering them. "I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen but she wasn't telling," George said bitterly. I scoffed at them. Professor McGonagall would have never let that secret slip. "She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon."

"Of course she did. It's McGonagall," I pointed out.

George shot me a slight scowl as I shrugged. They should have known McGonagall wouldn't give away anything about the tournament. "Wonder what the tasks are going to be?" Ron asked thoughtfully. "You know, I bet we could do them, Harry. Or you could, at least, Tara. You're one of the best students in our year. We've done dangerous stuff before..."

"Yeah, _illegally_ ," I said pointedly. "Doesn't count in the Triwizard Tournament."

"Right on," George agreed.

"Not in front of a panel of judges, you haven't," Fred added. "McGonagall says the champions get awarded points according to how well they've done the tasks."

"Who are the judges?" Harry asked.

"Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel," Hermione said, and everyone - save me - looked around at her, rather surprised, "because all three of them were injured during the Tournament of 1792, when a cockatrice the champions were supposed to be catching went on the rampage."

"Mione, no one but you has ever read that book," I told her.

Hermione shot me a brief scowl. I shrugged. I'd heard a lot about the tournament already. Nothing surprised me. She noticed the rest of them all looking at her and said, with her usual air of impatience that nobody else had read all the books she had, "It's all in Hogwarts, A History. Though, of course, that book's not entirely reliable. A Revised History of Hogwarts would be a more accurate title. Or A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Which Glosses Over the Nastier Aspects of the School."

I rolled my eyes. "What are you on about?" Ron asked though I thought I knew what was coming.

"House-elves!" Hermione barked, her eyes flashing. "Not once, in over a thousand pages, does Hogwarts, A History mention that we are all colluding in the oppression of a hundred slaves!"

"Why would you have said anything?" I hissed at Ron.

"I didn't realize..." Ron muttered.

"That much is obvious," I said.

Now that he had said it, we were going to have to listen to Hermione complain about house-elves for the rest of the day. We had almost gotten her down to only complaining about it for an hour or so too. Harry and I exchanged a look, shook our heads and applied ourselves to our scrambled eggs. It did nothing to sway Hermione from complaining. Harry's, Ron's, and my lack of enthusiasm had done nothing whatsoever to curb Hermione's determination to pursue justice for house-elves. I thought we might have convinced her to talk to us more about it.

True, all three of us had paid two Sickles for a S.P.E.W. badge, but we had only done it to keep her quiet. Our Sickles had been wasted, however; if anything, they seemed to have made Hermione more vociferous. I was furious with wasting money I could have used on Sugar Quills... Hermione had been badgering Harry, Ron, and I ever since, first to wear the badges, which I absolutely would not, then to persuade others to do the same, and she had also taken to rattling around the Gryffindor Common Room every evening, cornering people and shaking the collecting tin under their noses.

"You do realize that your sheets are changed, your fires lit, your classrooms cleaned, and your food cooked by a group of magical creatures who are unpaid and enslaved?" Hermione kept saying fiercely.

Most of the First Years were now terrified of her. Some people, like Neville, had paid up just to stop Hermione from glowering at them. A few - most of them Muggle-Born's - seemed mildly interested in what she had to say, but were reluctant to take a more active role in campaigning. Many regarded the whole thing as a joke. Unsurprisingly enough, Hermione had even asked some of the older students to join in. Unfortunately, that had also included some of Cedric's friends, who had all asked me what the hell was going on.

"Tara," Ted had yelled after me one afternoon when we were all on our way to our classes. He was joined by a few of their other friends. "Why does your friend keep asking me about something called spew?"

I rolled my eyes as I waited for them to catch up. She was going to make me the laughing stock among Cedric's personal life... "It's her petition to try and save the house-elves here or something like that. She's determined that it'll work," I groaned.

"What does she think she's going to get?" John asked.

Did she even have a plan once she raised all the money she wanted to? She hadn't said much about it. "I don't know. She thinks that she can try and manage to convince the school to free them or something like that." The boys exchanged a stupefied look. "Who knows? Look, if you want to get her to shut up just give her the two Sickles," I begged, knowing that I sounded insane.

"What?" John asked, sounding shocked.

"Can you spare it?" I begged.

"Tara -" Seth started.

"Please!" I interrupted loudly. Anything to get Hermione to stop badgering me about getting Cedric's friends to donate to the cause. "I'll give you guys the money. If you give it to her, it'll get her off of all of our backs."

The boys exchanged a horrified look with each other. Finally, Seth was the first one to speak. "We don't have to wear the pins, do we?"

"Hell no," I scoffed, rolling my eyes at the thought. There was no way that I was going to wear those buttons and I certainly wasn't going to make them do it. "I keep trying to throw them in the fireplace every time she makes more. She thinks that I've been giving them to older students that don't know her." All three of the boys laughed at my explanation. "If you tell her that, I'll kill you."

John reached down into his pocket and grabbed a Sickle, flipping and catching it. "We've got your back," he said.

"Thank you!" I chirped happily.

Even though I'd been hoping that Hermione wouldn't find the boys, she had managed. All three had paid up with their Sickles and then taken my advice to burn the badges. Cedric had immediately given me two Sickles and instructed me to do with his as I pleased. It had joined the others in the fireplace. Ron was now rolling his eyes at the ceiling, which was flooding us all in autumn sunlight, and Fred became extremely interested in his bacon (both twins were some of the few to refuse to buy a S.P.E.W. badge). George, however, leaned in toward Hermione.

"Listen, have you ever been down in the kitchens, Hermione?"

"No, of course not," Hermione said curtly, "I hardly think students are supposed to -"

"Well, we have," George interrupted, indicating Fred, "loads of times, to nick food." I snorted in amusement. "And we've met them, and they're happy. They think they've got the best job in the world -"

"That's because they're uneducated and brainwashed!" Hermione began hotly.

The twins seemed ready to up and run, but it didn't matter. Her next few words were drowned out by the sudden whooshing noise from overhead, which announced the arrival of the post owls. Harry, Ron, and Hermione slid back over to their spots, likely to try and see if we had finally gotten a letter back from Sirius. As the three of them waited to see if Hedwig would land with them, I slid a little bit closer to the twins. They were already back to muttering among themselves. I dropped my voice, ensuring that no one else could hear us.

"You two are the darlings of the school. Who's avoiding you?" I asked curiously.

"I wish you would," Fred snapped.

"I'm just asking," I said defensively. Even George looked a little surprised with how quickly Fred had snapped at me. I assumed it was because they were doing something frustrating. "You looked upset."

"We're fine," George said.

"Mind your business," Fred said, much more harshly than George had.

"Is this about business?" I asked.

"Tara. Leave us alone," Fred hissed.

There was a harshness in his voice that I hadn't heard before. At least, not when it was directed at me. I leaned back against the table, surprised at the tone of his voice. Something was stressing him out, definitely, but it also kind of seemed like he was upset with me. I hadn't even done anything to him! Even his twin looked slightly surprised with the way his brother had spoken to me. Fred had never said anything like that to me. I couldn't help the shooting anger that spiked through me as I stood from the table, whipping away from them.

"Fine. I just wanted to help," I muttered.

"Tara, wait," George called after me.

For just a moment, I turned back to them. George was looking at me with pity-filled eyes but Fred's gaze was still fixed firmly on the table. "Forget it. He doesn't want me here," I muttered self-pityingly.

As I walked back toward Ron, Harry, and Hermione, I overheard George's voice. "What was that for?" he asked his twin. Fred huffed but otherwise didn't respond. "We could have told her. She might have been able to help."

"Doesn't matter. We can figure it out for ourselves," Fred muttered.

George was still staring at his brother, baffled by his behavior, as I glanced away, taking my seat next to Hermione, opposite Ron and Harry. The three of them had been listening in on the conversation. I blushed, embarrassed from being called out in front of them, as I stared down at my food. For a while, no one spoke.

Eventually, Ron was the first one to break the silence. "What was that about?"

"Nothing," I said quickly. They didn't look like they believed me in the slightest. "I don't know. Your brother's just being an ass."

"Welcome to my world," Ron huffed, going back to his breakfast.

But he had never been an ass to me... "Right," I mumbled.

For a good five minutes after Fred snapping at me, I stewed in my anger. He was one of my best friends and he was snapping at me for trying to help? What the hell was that about? The only thing that ultimately distracted me from my anger and confusion over what happened with Fred was the sight of Dai. I tried to force a smile as he landed. He gently nudged my arm and dropped a small letter in front of me. It was Remus's handwriting. I took the letter and allowed Dai to pick at my leftovers. As discreetly as possible, I opened the letter and read through.

 _Tara,_

 _Thank you for your letter. I've been quite well over the past few months. It's been mostly a readjustment. Bouncing from place to place. For my security, and yours, I won't tell you where. But I promise you that I am safe. When it is time I promise that I will stop by and see you all again. It's been hard having to readjust to being alone most of the time._

 _Yes, I did hear tell that Alastor would be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. It wasn't common knowledge, but I was aware. I wrote him a letter myself explaining what we had gone over in my class and where he needed to pick up. Yes, Alastor can be a bit startling. Especially if you're not used to him. But I wouldn't concern yourself too much. He does things very over-the-top. He always has. He's stern but it is only because he wants what's best for you. He wants you to be prepared for anything._

 _As for his use of the Unforgivable Curses. I don't necessarily approve of his methods but I do understand them. Dark times are coming, Tara. We all know this. You need to know this too. As far as I'm aware, you do have to be in the right mindset to use one of the Unforgivable Curses. But all Alastor has to do is think about his time as an Auror and it puts him right back in that spot. I know it can be disturbing to watch but it is important that you all know what you're up against in the real world. Not all places are as kind as Hogwarts._

 _Try not to panic, Tara. Keep a level head. Alastor won't appreciate one of his students thinking that he's a criminal mastermind. He's suspicious enough._

 _No work with me quite yet but your mother and father are looking for any place that will hire a werewolf. They think the Ministry might be willing. I'm unsure how willing I am to work for the Ministry._

 _We'll all see each other again soon. I know it._

 _Remus._

That certainly hadn't been what I was expecting... I frowned down at the letter as I read it over again. I had been hoping for something more than that. I knew that Remus had sent Moody a letter (he had told me that much a while ago) but didn't he think this whole thing was a little strange? Moody was still essentially torturing students in class! Remus had to understand that much. I knew that he wanted us to be ready for an attack - I completely understood that - but he was taking it too far. At least, I thought he was.

At least Remus seemed to be doing okay. I had been concerned about what was happening with him since he had left Hogwarts. Werewolves had notoriously hard times trying to find jobs or be accepted in wizarding communities. But he seemed alright and, unfortunately, not too concerned about what Moody had been doing in class. Frustrated at the world, I sighed at his letter and folded the letter back up, slipping it down into my bag. Maybe I was overreacting. I would write back to Remus soon, but for now, it seemed that Hedwig had returned with an answer.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all been chatting quietly among themselves. But I saw her. I nudged Harry and motioned up toward the ceiling. Harry looked up at once and saw Hedwig soaring toward him. Hermione stopped talking about the house-elves abruptly; she, Ron, and I watched Hedwig anxiously as she fluttered down onto Harry's shoulder, folded her wings, and held out her leg wearily. Dai was hooting happily at my side. He had always liked Hedwig more than any other owl. I guessed it was all the time they spent together.

Harry pulled off Sirius's reply and offered Hedwig his bacon rinds, which she ate gratefully. She munched on them for a few moments before hopping over to Dai, the two hooting in excitement at seeing each other again after so long apart. I smiled slightly as the two stole a few more pieces of our respective breakfasts and huddled down against the table. Then, checking that Fred and George were safely immersed in further discussions about the Triwizard Tournament, Harry read out Sirius's letter in a whisper to Ron, Hermione, and I.

 _Nice try, Harry & Tara._

 _I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you both to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourselves. Don't forget what I said about your scars._

 _Sirius._

"Why do you have to keep changing owls?" Ron asked in a low voice.

"Hedwig will attract too much attention," Hermione said at once. Ron stared at her dumbly. "She stands out. A snowy owl that keeps returning to wherever he's hiding... I mean, they're not native birds, are they?"

"We can use Dai next," I offered.

Eagle owls weren't native to the area but they were able to blend in much easier. Harry rolled up the letter and slipped it inside his robes. As he did so, I was left wondering whether I felt more or less worried than before. Probably more. I supposed that Sirius managing to get back without being caught was something. Unfortunately, that was the easy part. Staying hidden here was the tough part. But I couldn't deny either that the idea that Sirius was much nearer was reassuring; at least I wouldn't have to wait so long for a response every time Harry or I wrote.

"Thanks, Hedwig," Harry said, stroking Hedwig.

She hooted sleepily, dipped her beak briefly into his goblet of orange juice, then took off again, clearly desperate for a good long sleep in the Owlery. Not that I blamed her. It must have been a long trip wherever Sirius had been hiding. I was still convinced that he had been somewhere around the Caribbean. Too bad he had to come back to this freezing and somewhat depressing place. Dai took off just behind Hedwig, likely going to join her for a good long sleep. I doubted Remus was too close to the school at the moment.

"See?" I said to Harry. He looked up at me. "She likes you again." He gave a slight smile at the knowledge.

For the rest of that evening and the next day, I tried desperately to avoid the twins. It was almost impossible, considering how popular the twins were. They were constantly around. It wasn't so much the twins that I was desperately trying to avoid, rather than Fred. He was angry with me. I could tell from the way he wouldn't meet my eyes and seemed to fall silent whenever I was near. I knew that I shouldn't have pushed the twins to tell me what was going on or snapped back at him. But I couldn't help it. He had upset me. I had reacted emotionally.

Cedric had asked me once or twice what was wrong but I hadn't told him. Mostly because I hadn't even realized that I was acting differently. But if he noticed, there was a good chance that someone else had noticed. He hadn't bothered me to keep talking to him but he had told me that if there was anything I needed to talk to him about, I could always come to him. But I didn't want to tell him. Partially because I felt a little awkward about talking to Cedric about Fred as I was still convinced that the two of them didn't like each other.

But if I was being completely honest, that wasn't the only reason. It was because I doubted that he would take my side in the argument with Fred. Mostly because it was my fault. I knew that it was my fault. I shouldn't have kept pushing him when it was so obvious that Fred and George didn't want to talk to me. George had apologized for Fred's actions early the next morning and had asked me to go talk to his brother but I wasn't sure how to go about it. I didn't want to try and talk to Fred just to have him snap at me again.

At breakfast the next morning, I went to reach for the last roll sitting on the table, but Fred had beaten me to it. He was sitting just across the table from me and a few spots down. I immediately retracted my hand from the plate and sat back down to avoid another fight. For a moment I sat in silence, digging my nails into the wood. After a few moments of sitting and steaming, wondering what I could say to him, I saw the roll get placed down on my plate. I glanced up slowly and smiled at Fred, who was now looking at me. He gave me a mildly tense smile back.

"Thanks," I mumbled, knowing I had to say something.

"You're welcome," Fred replied gently.

His eyes almost immediately darted away. I debated on going back to my food silently, but something was bothering me. So, I shifted away from Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Fred," I said quietly. He looked up at me. "Did I do something to upset you the other day?"

Fred looked almost surprised at my questions. "No," Fred said. No way. There was no way that he wasn't even slightly upset with me the other day. "I was just upset about something else and took it out on you. Sorry."

For a while, we just stared at each other. "It's okay," I said. "You're an ass, but it's okay."

Fred barked out a slight laugh. "But I'm still your favorite pain in the ass."

"Unfortunately, that much is true," I told him.

Would that be the end of it? I certainly hoped so. I glanced up and laughed gently as Fred stood from the table and pulled me into a tight hug. I ended up eventually reaching up and wrapping my arms around his midsection, tightening my grip slightly. I never had liked arguing with any of my friends and especially not Fred, who was always so easy to get along with. We stayed wrapped together for a while before eventually pulling apart. I shifted away from him a few inches. No need for anyone to see us that close together and start up some new rumors.

We did end up sitting together for the rest of breakfast, though. Chatting about the joke shop and wondering about the Triwizard Tournament. It felt so good to finally have Fred back but I couldn't help but wonder what had happened earlier. Why he was so angry that he had managed to take it out on me. I doubted that I would ever figure out exactly why. I didn't want to ask Fred and have him snap at me again. So, I focused instead on what would be coming with the impending arrival of the delegate schools this afternoon.

There was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air that day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; even Potions was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter. When the bell rang early, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, deposited our bags and books as we had been instructed, pulled on our cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall. The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines.

We had run from Potions to Gryffindor Tower back down to the Great Hall in a matter of minutes. I was out of breath but far too excited to be concerned about it. "Weasley, straighten your hat," Professor McGonagall snapped at Ron. "Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair."

Parvati scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her plait. I almost laughed at the sight of her. She would likely be put-out for days because she couldn't have the cheap-looking giant plastic butterfly in her hair. Parvati tucked it down into her bag, muttering angrily to Lavender as Professor McGonagall walked off to ensure no one else was going to look too stupid for the delegates from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons to see.

"That thing is kind of ugly..." I muttered to the others as we walked forward.

"Didn't you use that to practice the Fire-Making Spell?" Hermione asked.

I grinned slightly at the memory. The butterfly still had some scorch marks on it. "Yeah. Good times," I sighed.

Hermione rolled her eyes as Harry and Ron laughed. "Follow me, please," Professor McGonagall called, distracting us from our thoughts. "First Years in front... no pushing..."

In one giant group, we filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle to wait for the students and headmasters from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. Harry and I were standing between Ron and Hermione in the fourth row from the front. I saw Dennis Creevey positively shivering with anticipation among the other First Years. Not far from us, I spotted Cedric with his friends. I grabbed Harry's arm for a moment as I passed and strolled up to him.

"Hi," I chirped, popping up on Cedric's side.

"Hello," Cedric greeted, wrapping an arm around my back.

"Ready to meet your competition?" I asked.

He glanced over and smiled. "I still have to be chosen."

Was there a better person in the school to be the champion? No way. It had to be Cedric. "You will be," I said, wrapping a hand around the edge of his robes, tugging him into me. "I have faith."

Cedric wrapped his hand over mine. "And you'll be cheering for me?"

A small smile tilted up on my face. "I meant what I said before. I have to believe that you're the best competitor. I can't be seen cheering for the loser," I teased, shrugging my shoulders.

Cedric's jaw dropped. "You really are the worst."

Maybe that wasn't the worst way to describe me. I could definitely be the worst at times. Cedric stared at me for a long time as my lips split into a grin and I started laughing. It was mere seconds later that Cedric started laughing too. He punched me in the shoulder and I pulled away from him, darting through the crowd, shoving First and Second Years out of my way. We both laughed madly as Cedric grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into him, practically tackling me to the ground as he pressed a soft kiss against my mouth.

We were together for not nearly long enough when I heard a shout. "Mr. Diggory! Miss Nox!" Professor McGonagall yelled.

Cedric and I split apart immediately, smiling guiltily at her. "Sorry, Professor," we said together.

Perhaps we had been getting a little too intense for the front entrance. Oops. Professor McGonagall shot us another brief glare before turning and walking off. I whacked Cedric in the shoulder. "What's wrong with you? Getting me in trouble," I huffed playfully.

Cedric wrapped an arm around my waist again as he reached up and flicked me against the back of the head. I laughed as he shoved me gently away from him. "I'll remember that," he called after me.

That was certainly what I was hoping for. Cedric was still laughing as I turned back and sent him a brief wink. His eyes seemingly darkened for a moment before I turned away and strutted off, hoping he was still watching me. Even better, I knew that Malfoy was watching. If I was lucky, some jealously would be involved. As I headed back to my friends I could still hear Cedric laughing at me. In the meantime, Cedric's friends were making faces at us and my friends were rolling their eyes in disgust. I grinned madly at them.

Luckily, there was almost no time for them to start messing with me about my relationship with Cedric. "Nearly six," Ron commented, checking his watch and then staring down the drive that led to the front gates. "How do you reckon they're coming? The train?"

"I doubt it," Hermione said.

"Are you kidding?" I asked Ron.

"No?" he replied dumbly.

The train? That would have been such a lame way for them to show up. "They want to show off while they're here. That's the entire point of the Triwizard Tournament. The schools are trying to prove that they're better than each other," I explained.

"How do you show off just by arriving?" Ron asked.

"You might regret asking that," I said, giggling slightly.

"Okay. How, then? Broomsticks?" Harry suggested, looking up at the starry sky.

"I don't think so... not from that far away..." Hermione muttered.

"A Portkey?" Ron suggested. "Or they could Apparate - maybe you're allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from?"

"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell you?" Hermione said impatiently.

"Whatever you're thinking they'll do to get here, I guarantee it'll be something completely different," I said.

We scanned the darkening grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving; everything was still, silent, and quite as usual. It almost seemed like they would be late at this rate. Perhaps fashionably late. Not that I cared. I wanted to be back inside. I was starting to feel cold. I wished they would hurry up. Maybe the foreign students were preparing an extremely dramatic entrance. I remembered what Mr. Weasley had said back at the campsite before the Quidditch World Cup: 'always the same - we can't resist showing off when we get together...'

Wasn't that what I had mentioned earlier, too? Maybe we were all right. And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers, "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" many said students eagerly, all looking in different directions.

"There!" a Sixth Year yelled, pointing over the forest.

Something large, much larger than a broomstick - or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks - was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time. Everyone began shifting forward to see what was coming toward Hogwarts. As much as I wanted to pretend that I knew what was going on, I had absolutely no idea. I didn't have the slightest clue as to what was coming for Beauxbaton's. Something classy and high end if I had to guess it. That seemed like the French way to go about things.

"It's a dragon!" one of the First Years shrieked, losing her head completely.

"Don't be stupid... it's a flying house!" Dennis Creevey yelled.

Dennis's guess was closer... Though he wasn't exactly right either. As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, I saw a gigantic, powder-blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward us, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant. My jaw almost dropped. I didn't want to admit that another school did anything cooler than Hogwarts did, but... I might've had to make an exception for this one.

"Well, there's something you don't see every day," Fred said, standing with George at my side.

"They're beautiful," I whispered to my friends.

They all nodded their agreement, unable to say anything more. The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed - then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backward onto a Slytherin Fifth Year's foot, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery-red eyes. They were even more beautiful up close.

More than anything, I wanted to go and pet the horses, but I also had a feeling they would trample me into the ground if I got close to them. Plus, I doubted Dumbledore would appreciate me making a fool of myself. Completely forgetting the fact that I was freezing cold, I gently pushed my way past a few First Years to get a better look at the newcomers. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed in my wake. I just had time to see that the door of the carriage bore a coat of arms (two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars) before it opened.

A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. I arched a brow curiously. He looked terrified as he wouldn't even meet anyone's eyes. Perhaps the lovely carriage was a front for stern school life. Then I saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled - followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman I had ever seen in my life.

The size of the carriage and the horses was immediately explained. A few people gasped. I slapped a hand over my mouth but immediately retracted it on seeing Professor McGonagall shoot me a warning look. I had only ever seen one person as large as this woman in my life, and that was Hagrid; I doubted whether there was an inch difference in their heights. Everyone stared at the woman as she walked forward, but our gazes did nothing to deter her. I assumed she was used to being stared at.

Somehow - maybe simply because I was used to Hagrid - this woman (now at the foot of the steps, and looking around at the waiting, wide-eyed crowd) seemed even more unnaturally large. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beak-like nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.

Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman. I leaned on Ron's shoulder, getting up on my tip-toes to try and see her a little better. And to see if any of her students were as tall as she was. Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. I was almost impressed with how real her smile was. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss her hand.

"My dear Madame Maxime. Welcome to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.

"Dumbly-dort," Madame Maxime said in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"

"In excellent form, I thank you," Dumbledore said.

As the pair chatted for a brief moment, Seamus glanced over my shoulder. "Blimey," he whispered, staring up at Madam Maxime. "That's one big woman."

I snorted in laughter, reaching back and nudging him slightly. Seamus grinned down at me. "My pupils," Madame Maxime said, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her.

My attention had been focused completely upon Madame Maxime, but I now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. None of them looked particularly impressed with what they were seeing. They looked like they would much rather get back in the carriage and return to Beauxbatons. All of the students were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks.

Did they not realize they were coming to Scotland? It was freezing here! Not nearly as warm as it was in France. I did understand their distaste for the cold weather. Perhaps it would be our one similarity, as it seemed they were a little stuck-up for my liking. A few of the Beauxbatons students had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. From what I could see of them (they were standing in Madame Maxime's enormous shadow), they were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.

It didn't last long. Madam Maxime turned back to her students and gave them a sharp scowl. It was like flipping a switch. The students gathered themselves and began moving forward. The boys remained at Madam Maxime's side as the girls organized themselves. Two stood side-by-side as each row behind them had three. Arms crossed behind their backs, heads high, chests puffed out, the girls marched confidently forward. They stepped forward a few steps before pausing, motioning off to the side, and letting out airy sighs.

 _What?_ Were they kidding? They marched forward another few steps before repeating the motion with the other arm. This time when they straightened up they began running forward, in between the rows of Hogwarts students. The boys ogled them like morons as the girls stopped briefly to release bright blue butterflies into the air. The moment they had, they ran crossing in between each other to the steps of the castle. In the meantime, one younger girl in a leotard began flipping through the aisle as another twirled at her side.

The two girls, both very pretty, stopped in front of the rest of the Beauxbatons girls and linked hands, bowing to the Hogwarts students. The two girls had the same blonde hair and blue eyes. Sisters, if I had to take a guess. Everyone in the courtyard began cheering for them. The boys were all whooping and cheering madly as they watched them far too closely. Ginny was clapping gently as Hermione gave a slightly concerned stare. I rolled my eyes at the boys, shooting Cedric a glare. I was glad to see that he was merely clapping politely.

Madam Maxime smiled appreciatively at her students as she motioned the boys to join the girls. "As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked Dumbledore.

"He should be here any moment," Dumbledore told her. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up, I think," Madame Maxime said. "But ze 'orses -"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them, the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other - er - charges," Dumbledore said.

"Skrewts," Ron muttered to Harry, grinning.

"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," Madame Maxime said, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. "Zey are very strong..."

"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," Dumbledore said, smiling.

"Very well," Madame Maxime said, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"

"Prissy..." I whispered.

"It will be attended to," Dumbledore said, also bowing.

"Come," Madame Maxime said imperiously to her students as she made her way up to the castle entrance, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.

"How big do you reckon Durmstrang's horses are going to be?" Seamus asked, leaning around Lavender and Parvati to address Harry, Ron, and I.

"Well, if they're any bigger than this lot, even Hagrid won't be able to handle them," Harry told him. "That's if he hasn't been attacked by his skrewts. Wonder what's up with them?"

"Maybe they've escaped," Ron said hopefully.

"Oh don't say that," Hermione said with a shudder. "Imagine that lot loose on the grounds..."

That was the last thing we needed. Although, it could be funny to watch the Beauxbatons lot run from them. "Doubt they'd be arriving by horses. That seems like a sweet and light entrance. Not exactly something that Durmstrang is known for," I put in.

"What do you think?" Seamus asked.

"Honestly, I don't know," I said.

None of us knew what to do as we waited. Madame Maxime and the rest of the Beauxbatons crowd were already inside. We couldn't even stare at them curiously and watch how much they hated Hogwarts. We were stuck out in the cold, waiting for Durmstrang, who might not even arrive for a while. So, we stood, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. No one spoke as we waited. Probably because they were cold, hungry, and impatient. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky.

For a few minutes, the silence was broken only by Madame Maxime's huge horses snorting and stamping. But then... "Can you hear something?" Ron asked suddenly.

Was there a sound coming? I didn't hear anything. All I heard was the rumbling of my stomach. I was starving and wanted dinner. I listened at Ron's advice; he was right. There was a sound coming over the near-silent air. There was a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward us from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed. What the hell was that? I was about to ask if anyone had any idea what was happening, but a shout interrupted me.

"The lake!" Lee Jordan yelled, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"

From our position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, we had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water - except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor. What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool... and then I saw the rigging.

"It's a mast!" Harry said to Ron, Hermione, and I.

"It's a ship," I commented dumbly.

Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, we heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.

"Holy shit," I gasped.

"Tara!" Hermione scolded.

"Oh, come on," I growled, pointing to the ship. "That's awesome!"

People were disembarking from the ship; we could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, I noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle. But then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, I saw that their bulk was because they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. They looked like they had crawled out of the lake... But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.

Much like the students from Beauxbatons, the students from Durmstrang had prepared an entrance for us. Immediately a series of older boys walked up to the aisle that had been created from allowing the Beauxbatons students to pass. The boys were brandishing bo-staffs, stabbing them into the ground to create a sparking effect. They hit the staff three times on one side before tossing them to their other hand, doing the same. They held them in their hands for a moment before stopping in their tracks, stabbing the ground again.

The boys twirled them in their hands for a moment and then stabbed them into the ground again before rotating them over and over again in their hands. It was almost impossible to follow them. They then ran forward and began throwing themselves into acrobatic tricks not far from where we were standing. I watched, completely impressed with them. I liked them a lot more than the Beauxbatons students. Two of the boys stayed kneeling as they took out something that looked like fireworks and blew magic fire snakes into the air. The rest of the boys stayed facing the doors.

Most of the girls in the entrance were watching with great interest. I was one of them. I watched the Durmstrang boys in amusement, my eyebrows arching at the sight of them. Perhaps this year wouldn't be as bad as I had initially thought. It helped that, even though we would have to deal with the Beauxbatons lot, we would also have the Durmstrang students to hang out with. I would much rather watch them than have to suffer through another stupid demonstration from the Beauxbatons boys and girls.

I leaned over to Hermione and dropped my voice to a whisper. "Now _that_ I can get behind."

Hermione giggled at my comment. "Doubt your boyfriend would like to hear you say that," George said, leaning over from my other side.

"I'm allowed to look. I'm just not allowed to touch," I told him.

"Dumbledore!" the Durmstrang headmaster called heartily as he walked up to the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.

Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle we saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. There was something a little creepy about him. Perhaps it was the massive smile on his face. It didn't quite match his movements. When Karkaroff finally reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own.

"Dear old Hogwarts," Karkaroff said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and I noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good... Viktor, come along, into the warmth... you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."

Viktor? There was a stereotypical Russian name if I ever heard one. Or something like that. I also wanted to know what made this Viktor so special that Karkaroff was now showing some type of affection. As close as he could get, I assumed. Karkaroff turned back and beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, I caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. There was no goddamn way... I didn't need the punch on the arm Ron gave me, or the hiss in my ear, to recognize that profile.

"Harry - Tara - it's Krum!"

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _The Goblet of Fire is revealed and it chooses each school's champion; resulting in a surprising twist for the Triwizard Tournament._ Hello everyone! Sorry the update took so long but I was having some health problems. They're not totally fixed yet, but I'm on the road to recovery. Here's hoping you liked this one! As always, thank you for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Dove Salvatore 21051: I'm so glad the last update was worth the wait! I've got a plan for the reveal of the champions and the effect on Tara's relationship with Cedric and I really hope everyone enjoys it.**

 **Ghostie1701: Thank you for reading! I'm really happy to hear that this is one of your favorite stories on here. There might be something bigger going on between Tara and Moody that'll come up in the next few chapters. I love the Tara/Draco moments. They're few and far between but so much fun. I do think SPEW is hilarious and I missed it in the movies, but unfortunately it wasn't vital to the plot. It is nice to have those 'normal' moments where we can remember that they're just kids. I'm hoping you'll like the goblet reveal in the next chapter!**

 **Vincent FGS91: I'm so glad to hear that you had a smile on your face at my last update! That's the perfect kind of weather to read it in! Once Tara starts interacting more with the foreign students I think I'll be able to use it. Nothing too serious, just a pretty normal medical problem that got a little complicated. Not life-threatening, just painful. Thank you for the well wishes!**

 **TheNorsePaganist: I'm not quite ready to divulge that information but it's definitely a good guess. You're not the only one to think that. I know a lot of the readers would like (there's no good word for it) me to kill him off. It would be tough and it would kill her but it would be interesting to see a shift in her story and personality. I'm really glad that you love the story! I like having those 'normal' moments. The ones where a girl doesn't realize she's getting older and growing up and drawing attention to herself. It reminds me of when I was her age. Thank you for reading! I hope you liked this one!**


	17. The Goblet of Fire

"I don't believe it!" Ron said, in a stunned voice, as the Hogwarts students filed back up the steps behind the party from Durmstrang. "Krum, Harry! Tara, it's him! Viktor Krum!"

"Do you want him to hear you?" I snapped, whacking Ron in the shoulder. "You'll sound like the creepiest damn stalker!"

"For heaven's sake, Ron, he's only a Quidditch player," Hermione said.

"And his greatest crush," I told her.

"Only a Quidditch player?" Ron repeated, looking at her as though he couldn't believe his ears. "Hermione - he's one of the best Seekers in the world! I had no idea he was still at school!"

"A lot of them are young. Phil Troy would have still been in school if he hadn't been homeschooled," I told Ron.

"The Irish player that likes you?" he asked.

"He doesn't like me!" I snapped.

"Yes, he does," Ron, Harry, and Hermione all said together.

Okay, I wasn't going to be getting any help from them. "What use are you three?" I snapped. They all smiled at me as I rolled my eyes and walked off toward the front of the line, where Cedric was standing. I grinned at him as I skipped up to walk alongside him. "So, what do you think?"

Cedric smiled down at me as he turned and glanced to the right. "Is that Viktor Krum?" he asked curiously.

There was no way I could deal with Ron and Cedric both adoring Viktor Krum. "Don't tell me you're in love with him, too?" I asked Cedric, narrowing my eyes at him. Cedric arched a brow in confusion. "Ron's in love with him." A small smile cracked over his face as he nodded understandingly. "Tell me, do I have competition?"

"Hmm... I'm not so sure he's my type," Cedric said, wrapping an arm around my waist and flicking me against the nose. I laughed, batting away his hand. "Maybe someone more like Phil Troy."

Well, I deserved that for all the times I messed with him. I barked out a mad laugh and threw my head back as I shoved Cedric off to the side. He stumbled back to me a moment later, throwing his arm over my shoulder. "Funny. I kind of thought he was more _my_ type," I teased as Cedric scowled at me. I grinned again and pressed a small kiss against his jaw. "Good thing you're closest to my type."

Cedric raised a brow curiously. "You have a type?"

A small smirk turned up on the corners of my lips. "Wouldn't you like to know?" I teased.

We smiled at each other as I popped up onto my tiptoes and pressed a kiss against his mouth. Harry and Ron audibly groaned from behind us. "How'd you like the Beauxbatons students?" Cedric asked teasingly.

"Probably not as much as you did," I said, smiling at him.

 _And if you did happen to enjoy them, I'll be practicing the Bat-Bogey Hex on you_... Cedric laughed, knowing what I was goading him into as he leaned down to my ear. "I'd like to see you in one of those uniforms," he whispered.

I snorted in laughter. "Yeah?" I asked. Cedric nodded as I pressed a finger into his chest. "I'd like to see _you_ in one."

"Short skirt and all?" Cedric asked, bumping my hip with his.

"Don't forget about the nifty little hat," I added, flicking his hair to the side.

We both laughed again as we parted ways. Cedric briefly wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pressed a kiss against my temple as I waved him off to return to his friends. As he walked off, I darted back to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. As we re-crossed the entrance hall with the rest of the Hogwarts students heading for the Great Hall, I saw Lee Jordan jumping up and down on the soles of his feet to get a better look at the back of Krum's head. Several Sixth Year girls were frantically searching their pockets as they walked.

"Oh I don't believe it, I haven't got a single quill on me -"

"D'you think he'd sign my hat in lipstick?"

I wasn't the only one to laugh. "Really," Hermione said loftily as we passed the girls, now squabbling over the lipstick.

Ron looked halfway tempted to snatch the lipstick from the girls. I moved to his side and smiled playfully. "Why don't you go join them? I bet you could get him to sign your chest with my lipstick," I teased. Ron's eyes brightened as he opened his mouth. I immediately spoke over him. "Don't you dare try to take me up on that."

"Well, can I borrow it with a piece of parchment?" Ron asked.

"Absolutely not!" I hissed.

He didn't even have the decency to look ashamed for his creepy desire to get Krum's autograph. "I'm getting his autograph if I can. You haven't got a quill, have you, Harry?" Ron asked, moving on from me.

I shot Harry a quick glare. "Nope, they're upstairs in my bag," Harry said.

We walked over to the Gryffindor table in relative silence and sat down. Ron took care to sit on the side facing the doorway because Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students were still gathered around it, apparently unsure about where they should sit. I rolled my eyes at his desperation. The students from Beauxbatons had chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table. They were looking around the Great Hall with glum expressions on their faces. Three of them were still clutching scarves and shawls around their heads.

"It's not that cold," Hermione said defensively. "Why didn't they bring cloaks?"

Normally, I would have agreed with Hermione, particularly since the Beauxbatons girls looked annoying. Unfortunately, I did have to agree with them this time. Coming from Florida, I could agree that it was cold here. "Because they're from France, where it's warm. They probably didn't think ahead," I told her. Hermione huffed as I scanned the room. My eyes stopped about halfway through the Ravenclaw table as my jaw set. "Look who's getting chummy with the pretty Beauxbatons girls."

Hermione followed my gaze to where the two pretty Beauxbatons girls from earlier were now sitting with Cho Chang. "What's wrong with that?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Huh?" I asked, looking at her. My face flushed slightly as I looked down at the table. I didn't want to sound like a psychopathic jealous girlfriend, but everything Cho Chang did would always bother me. "I don't know. I just doubt that Chang's going to sit around all year and let me dangle Cedric in her face. She's going to do something and I bet the Beauxbatons girl will help her."

"Why do you think that?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know. She just looks like we won't get along," I mumbled.

 _Because she was far too attractive for my liking_... Hermione huffed like I was a complete moron. "Because you hate almost all females," she pointed out.

That wasn't true. "No, I don't," I said defensively.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Tara, I'm the only girl you regularly talk to beside Ginny."

But that didn't mean I hated almost all females. I hung out with Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, and Alicia Spinnet, who were my fellow Quidditch players. And... That was it. "Okay, that's fair," I mumbled awkwardly. "We're just all so annoying."

"I'll say," Harry huffed from my other side.

"Shut up," I snapped.

Hermione lowered her voice as she spoke again once Harry had turned back to talk to Ron. "What do you think Cho will do?" she asked.

 _Anything possible to get my boyfriend to break up with me..._ "Something to embarrass me or try and convince Cedric that I'm terrible. Maybe use the pretty older girl to make me jealous and get me to say something stupid," I growled.

"She wouldn't be wrong," Harry said. I jumped, having not known that he was listening to us. "You've been known to act emotionally."

"I've got to start sitting with other people when I want to complain. You three don't feed into it," I whined.

It wasn't like I could complain to Cedric either, considering it was about my sudden lack of confidence in our relationship. "Over here! Come and sit over here!" Ron hissed suddenly.

"Because that doesn't make you sound desperate at all," I muttered.

"Shut up, Tara," Ron growled. "Over here! Hermione, budge up, make a space -"

"Don't give up your spot for him!" I barked.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Too late," Ron said bitterly.

The three of us had been going back and forth for so long I'd almost forgotten that the Durmstrang students had yet to find their spots to sit. I glanced up to where Ron was pointing. Viktor Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students had settled themselves at the Slytherin table. I wasn't the slightest bit surprised they had picked Slytherin, just as I wasn't surprised Beauxbatons had chosen to sit with Ravenclaw. I could see Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle looking very smug about Durmstrang's choice. As I watched, Malfoy bent forward to speak to Krum.

"Huh... Surprise, surprise. Everyone knows that Durmstrang specializes in the Dark Arts," I said quietly.

"Who knows that?" Harry asked.

"Not you," I replied teasingly.

Harry scowled as I wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He pushed me off him a moment later. "Yeah, that's right, smarm up to him, Malfoy. I bet Krum can see right through him, though... bet he gets people fawning over him all the time," Ron said scathingly.

"You don't say?" I hummed.

My comment went right over Ron's head. "Where do you reckon they're going to sleep?" Ron asked. Before anyone got the chance to answer him, Ron continued speaking. "We could offer him a space in our dormitory, Harry... I wouldn't mind giving him my bed, I could kip on a camp bed."

Hermione snorted. "Ron!" I gasped. "You're so goddamn creepy."

Ron finally broke eye contact with the Slytherin table to stare at me like I'd lost my mind. "What's so creepy about that?" he asked.

For a while, the two of us stared at each other. Every time I thought Ron could surprise me no further, he managed it in an even more grandiose way. "The fact that you need to ask is quite telling," I said quietly.

Ron pretended like he hadn't heard me. "They look a lot happier than the Beauxbatons lot," Harry said.

We all turned to see what they were doing. The Durmstrang students were pulling off their heavy furs and looking up at the starry black ceiling with expressions of interest; a couple of them were picking up the golden plates and goblets and examining them, apparently impressed. They seemed to be enjoying Hogwarts much more than their French counterparts. I smiled as I saw some of the boys without their furs. They were much less bulky than they'd originally looked. They actually would have been easy to mistake for Hogwarts students if they were wearing our uniforms.

The turned-up faces of the Beauxbatons students made it easy to distinguish them from the rest of us. I rolled my eyes and glanced up toward the front of the Great Hall. Up at the staff table, Argus Filch, the caretaker who had desperately hated me since my Second Year when he thought I'd Petrified his cat, was adding chairs. He was wearing his moldy old tailcoat in honor of the occasion. I scowled at him but was distracted by what he was doing. To my surprise, he was adding four chairs, two on either side of Dumbledore's.

"But there are only two extra people. Why's Filch putting out four chairs, who else is coming?" Harry asked.

"Eh?" Ron hummed vaguely. He was still staring avidly at Krum.

"Someone to explain the rules?" I offered.

"Is your dad coming?" Harry asked me curiously.

"He didn't mention anything about it," I said.

If Dad was coming here I would faint of embarrassment. Most of the students loved Dad and his time in professional Quidditch, but I was sure he would embarrass me if he got the chance to meet all of my friends. Not to mention if Cedric came anywhere near him. Dad would be sure to mortify me then. When all the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their House tables, the staff entered, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime.

When their headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leaped to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students laughed. I was one of them. The Beauxbatons party appeared quite unembarrassed, however, and did not resume their seats until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side. I raised my brow as I looked at them. It seemed that Madam Maxine held Beauxbatons under an iron thumb. It didn't seem to be a fun place to go to school. Dumbledore remained standing and a silence fell over the Great Hall.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and - most particularly - guests," Dumbledore said, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."

One of the Beauxbatons girls still clutching a muffler around her head gave what was unmistakably a derisive laugh. "No one's making you stay!" Hermione whispered, bristling at her.

"Mione, shut up!" I snapped, sick of listening to her complain about the Beauxbatons students. "They're bitches. We've already gathered that."

A few of the girls and boys from Beauxbatons turned from the Ravenclaw table to glare at me. I blushed slightly and glanced down at the table. I realized far too late that I wasn't exactly quiet. Not as quiet as the rest of the people who were whispering in the Great Hall had been. Everyone sitting near me had heard my comment. Cedric covered his mouth with his robes, likely to stifle a laugh. Cho and the pretty Beauxbatons girl scowled at me. Madam Maxine looked like she would have enjoyed stepping on me and squashing me.

"Now we _definitely_ know they won't like you," Ron whispered.

"I'd say oops, but I don't really care," I said, shrugging.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," Dumbledore continued, his eyes twinkling as they briefly traveled over me. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

My comment would ensure that none of the Beauxbatons students would like me very much. Now I also had to worry about Madam Maxine potentially killing me where I stood. Her beady black eyes moved over me more than once as the students went about their meals. I tried to sit as straight as I could, determined that she wouldn't realize she frightened me. Dumbledore gave the students a final smile and sat down. Not a moment later I spotted Karkaroff lean forward and engage him in conversation.

The plates in front of us filled with food as usual. Like the Welcoming Feast had every year for the past few years there was some American food that appeared in front of me. I grinned and pulled a cup of coffee and hamburger from the middle of the pile. It seemed I wasn't the only one being accommodated. The house-elves in the kitchen seemed to have pulled out all the stops; there was a greater variety of dishes in front of us than I had ever seen, including several that were foreign and not American.

"Finally! I'm starving," I said happily, stuffing my hamburger in my mouth.

"What's that?" Ron asked, pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a large steak-and-kidney pudding.

"Bouillabaisse," Hermione said.

"Bless you," Ron said.

"Oh, gross. That looks terrible," I said, pushing the bouillabaisse away from me.

Two Beauxbatons students turned back from the Ravenclaw table just long enough to shoot me a glare. "You're terrible at making new friends," Harry said.

"French ones, apparently," I commented. "Come on, tell me that looks appetizing."

"No, I agree with you," Harry said.

"It's French, I had it on holiday summer before last. It's very nice," Hermione explained.

"I'll take your word for it," Ron said, helping himself to black pudding.

"I think I'll follow your lead," I said.

There was no way I was eating any of the foreign food here that wasn't American. It all looked poisonous. The Great Hall seemed somehow much more crowded than usual tonight, even though there were barely forty additional students there; perhaps it was because their differently colored uniforms stood out so clearly against the black of the Hogwarts' robes. Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep blood red. It looked good for their students.

Hagrid ended up sidling into the Great Hall through a door behind the staff table twenty minutes after the start of the feast. Most people didn't notice his appearance but something seemed a little off to me. His gaze, which normally would have fallen on the four of us instead shifted to Madam Maxine. I smiled at him. It didn't take a genius to know what a crush looked like. Hagrid slid into his seat at the end of the staff table and waved at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I with a very heavily bandaged hand.

"Skrewts doing all right, Hagrid?" Harry called.

"Thrivin'," Hagrid called back happily.

"Yeah, I'll just bet they are," Ron said quietly. "Looks like they've finally found a food they like, doesn't it? Hagrid's fingers."

"Oh, do you think he's okay?" I asked worriedly.

"It's Hagrid," Ron pointed out. "Is he ever okay?"

That was fair enough. At that moment as I opened my mouth to respond, a voice said, "Excuse me, are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?"

It was the girl from Beauxbatons who had laughed during Dumbledore's speech. She was the same one who had come dancing earlier in the evening with the little girl doing gymnastics. I raised a brow at her as I turned back. The girl only looked down for a moment to shoot me a little scowl. The older girl had finally removed her muffler. A long sheet of silvery-blonde hair fell almost to her waist. She had large, deep blue eyes, and very white, even teeth. Even I had to admit that she was very pretty.

The longer I looked at the French girl the more I began to realize that she didn't look quite human, which seemed to annoy me for some reason. Perhaps it was because I was positive that she must have had at least some Veela in her. No one at our section of the table spoke for a long time. The girl looked a little embarrassed as Ron went purple. He stared up at her, opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out except a faint gurgling noise. I rolled my eyes at his idiocy. The girl was very pretty but she wasn't that special.

"Yeah, have it," Harry said, pushing the dish toward the girl.

"You 'ave finished wiz it?" she asked Ron cautiously.

"Yeah," Ron said breathlessly. "Yeah, it was excellent."

My eyes could have gotten stuck in the back of my head with how far I'd rolled them. He was probably the only person at the table more repulsed by the bouillabaisse than I was. The girl picked up the dish and carried it carefully off to the Ravenclaw table and Cho Chang. I scowled at them and turned back to my hamburger. Ron, on the other hand, was still goggling at the girl as though he had never seen one before. Harry and I started to laugh. The sound seemed to jog Ron back to his senses.

"Jesus, Ron... Put your eyes back in your skull," I snapped.

"She's a Veela!" Ron said hoarsely to Harry.

"Of course she isn't!" Hermione said tartly. "I don't see anyone else gaping at her like an idiot!"

But she wasn't entirely right about that. As the blonde girl crossed back over the Hall, many boys' heads turned, and some of them seemed to have become temporarily speechless, just like Ron. My head quickly whipped around to the Hufflepuff table. He must have been expecting my reaction as Cedric was looking straight at me with a knowing smile. He'd known that I would have killed him if he was staring at her too. He winked playfully at me and I grinned, turning back to my friends.

"They're boys," I told Hermione, going back to our prior conversation. "They see a pretty girl and they start gaping at her like an idiot. That's what they do."

Hermione giggled as Harry shot me an indignant scowl. "I'm telling you, that's not a normal girl!" Ron said, leaning sideways so he could keep a clear view of her. "They don't make them like that at Hogwarts!"

My face fell into a thin scowl. "Wow, thank you so much for that, Ron," I growled.

"They make them okay at Hogwarts," Harry said, obviously without thinking.

Did he think we wouldn't catch on to what he meant? Cho Chang happened to be sitting only a few places away from the girl with the silvery hair. Hermione and I exchanged a look, both annoyed. I couldn't believe the boys were this stupid. I couldn't stand the way they were looking at the girls over at the Ravenclaw table. I was annoyed with everything but also the slightest bit glad to see that Cedric was firmly focused on a conversation he was having at his table with his normal friends.

I turned back to Hermione and grinned. "Okay, want to ogle at the hot Durmstrang guys?" I asked loudly enough for the boys to hear.

Harry and Ron glared at me as Hermione laughed. "Which one?" she asked.

"The one that blew fire was kind of hot," I said, spotting him a few spaces down from where Malfoy was sitting. "What do you think? Can we see if this is the year that Hermione Granger gets herself a boyfriend? Oh, I bet Krum is single! All those Quidditch practices can't leave enough time for a girlfriend." Hermione giggled. "Come on! Look at him!" I nudged Hermione playfully. "I bet you two could get in all sorts of practices -"

"Could you two stop?" Ron interrupted.

"Could you two take your advice?" I snapped back.

Ron flushed, looking back at the Ravenclaw table. "Point taken," he muttered.

"When you've both put your eyes back in, you'll be able to see who's just arrived," Hermione said briskly.

She might not have realized what was annoying her, but I did. She was annoyed because she didn't want Ron looking at any other girls. Particularly not someone who was much prettier than the average human. Meanwhile, Hermione was pointing up at the staff table. The two remaining empty seats had just been filled. Ludo Bagman was now sitting on Professor Karkaroff's other side, while Mr. Crouch, Percy's boss, was next to Madame Maxime. I let out a deep breath, pleased that my father was nowhere in sight.

"What are they doing here?" Harry asked in surprise.

"They organized the Triwizard Tournament, didn't they? I suppose they wanted to be here to see it start," Hermione reasoned.

"They're probably making some kind of formal announcement about it," I added.

It would have been strange to have Dumbledore be the one to announce what was going on with the Triwizard Tournament when he wasn't the one who had organized it. When the second course of our dinner arrived we noticed several unfamiliar desserts too. Ron examined an odd sort of pale blancmange closely, then moved it carefully a few inches to his right, so that it would be clearly visible from the Ravenclaw table. The girl who looked like a Veela appeared to have eaten enough, however, and did not come over to get it.

"You're pathetic," I snorted.

"I am not!" Ron hissed, his face going as red as his hair. "Just look at her!"

What the hell was that going to have to do with anything? I knew she was pretty, but that was as far as it went for me. "Ron? Yeah, she's not my type, buddy," I told him sharply.

"Well -"

"Drop it," I barked.

There was no way I wanted anything to do with the Veela girl. Not like that or any other way. Her very presence at this school was aggravating. Once our golden plates had been wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Great Hall now. I felt a slight thrill of excitement, wondering what was coming. I'd heard plenty about the Triwizard Tournament but never gotten to see any of it. Several seats down from us, Fred and George were leaning forward, staring at Dumbledore with great concentration.

"The moment has come," Dumbledore began, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket -"

"The what?" Harry muttered.

Ron shrugged as I nudged him hard in the side to get him to shut up.

"- just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation," there was a smattering of polite applause - "and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps because of his fame as a Beater, or simply because he looked so much more likable. He acknowledged it with a jovial wave of his hand. Bartemius Crouch did not smile or wave when his name was announced. Remembering him in his neat suit at the Quidditch World Cup, I thought he looked strange in wizard's robes. His toothbrush mustache and severe parting looked very odd next to Dumbledore's long white hair and beard.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts," Dumbledore continued.

At the mention of the word 'champions,' the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. All of the glazed over eyes suddenly seemed sparkly. Perhaps Dumbledore had noticed our sudden stillness, for he smiled as he said, "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old. I wasn't the only one to stiffen at the sight of it. Whatever was inside, I was officially thrilled to see it. A murmur of excited interest rose from the watching students; Dennis Creevey actually stood on his chair to see it properly, but being so tiny, his head hardly rose above anyone else's. I was extremely jealous of Fred and George, who were tall enough to see to the front of the Great Hall.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge," Dumbledore said as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him. "There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways... their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

What would those three tasks be? There would be a ton of talk about the tasks in the coming weeks. Everyone would want to know what those three kids would be doing. Something Cedric would potentially be doing. Something with a dangerous animal, I was sure. Maybe some kind of obstacle course. I wasn't the only student who was lost in their thoughts trying to decide what the tasks would be. At Dumbledore's last word, the Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing.

I leaned to Harry and dropped my voice as low as it could go. "Maybe we would be good at this."

"I think _you'd_ be good at it," Harry said. I hummed questioningly at him. "Powers of deduction?"

"Hmm... Fair point," I whispered.

Somehow I always had been good at figuring things out long before anyone else - save Hermione, but she would never enter the Tournament. "As you know, three champions compete in the tournament, one from each of the participating schools," Dumbledore went on calmly. "They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Well, that sounded impressive. Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. It was the first time I'd gotten a good look at Dumbledore's wand. It looked eerily similar to mine, even from the distance. The lid of the casket creaked slowly open, distracting me from my thoughts. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly constructed wooden cup. I wasn't the only person to make a sound of disappointment. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.

"Not what I expected," I said quietly.

"Me either," Harry agreed.

When I'd thought of something to do with the Triwizard Tournament, I would have imagined everything being over-the-top. Not a simple-looking brown goblet. I was almost disappointed. At least the blue-white flames were kind of cool. Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall. I smiled again as I straightened up, glancing back at Cedric. His gaze was firmly locked on the goblet. I chuckled at his determination.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," Dumbledore continued. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.

"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all," Dumbledore finished.

"An Age Line doesn't seem that tough to beat," Ron said hopefully.

It was that kind of moronic thinking that Dumbledore was probably betting on. There was a good chance he was hoping someone would try and get past it. "An Age Line drawn by Dumbledore? How stupid are you?" I snapped at him. "Dumbledore won't be fooled by anyone trying to beat it."

Naturally, Ron wasn't the only Weasley thinking of how to beat Dumbledore's system. "An Age Line!" Fred Weasley whisper-yelled, his eyes glinting as we all made our way across the Hall to the doors into the entrance hall. "Well, that should be fooled by an Aging Potion, shouldn't it? And once your name's in that goblet, you're laughing - it can't tell whether you're seventeen or not!"

"Why did I know the two of you would be thinking about how to outsmart Dumbledore?" I said quietly, wandering over to him and his twin.

"You just know us that well," Fred teased, throwing his arm over my shoulder.

As much as I wanted to know what would happen if someone underage tried to enter, I figured I should try to help them avoid some serious embarrassment. "Boys, this won't go well," I warned the twins.

"You can take some too and enter your name," George offered.

It was one thing for them to embarrass themselves. I wasn't joining in on it. "Absolutely not," I hissed, shoving them away from me. "You two can embarrass yourselves with the punishment Dumbledore's probably set up for anyone who tries to enter their name into the goblet."

The twins exchanged a look and grinned. "Eternal glory."

"Uh-huh," I hummed.

If either one of them got their names into the Goblet of Fire, I was sure there would be some type of comical hell to pay. "But I don't think anyone under seventeen will stand a chance, we just haven't learned enough," Hermione said, having ignored my conversation with the twins.

"Speak for yourself," George said shortly. "You'll try and get in, won't you, Harry?"

"You know you want to enter," Fred teased, nudging my shoulder.

Unfortunately, Fred was right. I thought briefly of Dumbledore's insistence that nobody under seventeen should submit their name, but then the wonderful picture of myself winning the Triwizard Tournament filled my mind again. I wondered if Cedric would be angry that I took the spotlight away from him. Would the rest of my friends understand? Would the school? I wondered how angry Dumbledore would be if someone younger than seventeen did find a way to get over the Age Line.

But what was I thinking? Dumbledore was far wiser than us. He knew how to beat any of us easily. "Where is he?" Ron asked as he wasn't listening to a word of our conversation, but looking through the crowd to see what had become of Krum.

"Pathetic," I whispered to Hermione, who giggled.

"Ginny was right. He is in love," George whispered back.

"That's more than love," I said. "It's an obsession."

"Dumbledore didn't say where the Durmstrang people are sleeping, did he?" Ron asked, proving my point.

"Honey, trust me when I tell you it's not a good idea for you to be sleeping in the same room as them," I told Ron, patting him on the shoulder. He frowned at me. I sighed and gave him the real answer. "Probably on their ship. I doubt they want to mix with us."

There was a chance Durmstrang would appreciate Hogwarts more than Beauxbatons, but I still doubted Karkaroff would want them getting too chummy with us. I let out a puff of breath as I flipped my hair back over my shoulders. I missed the people at Ilvermorny. I wished I could trade them for the Beauxbatons students. My desire to see my old friends was broken when Ron's previous query was answered almost instantly; we were level with the Slytherin table now and Karkaroff had just bustled up to his students.

"Back to the ship, then," Karkaroff was saying. Ron and I exchanged a nod. "Viktor, how are you feeling? Did you eat enough? Should I send for some mulled wine from the kitchens?"

I let out a snort loud enough to draw the attention of some Durmstrang students. I blushed slightly but shot them a smile anyway. Most smiled back at me. At the same time, I saw Krum shake his head as he pulled his furs back on. "Professor, I vood like some vine," one of the other Durmstrang boys said hopefully.

"Wine?" Harry asked curiously.

It wasn't like it was here or in the States. Having the older students drinking likely wasn't much of a big deal. "It's probably pretty common over there. It is in France too," I told him.

"I wasn't offering it to you, Poliakoff," Karkaroff snapped, his warmly paternal air vanishing in an instant. "I notice you have dribbled food all down the front of your robes again, disgusting boy."

Okay, that wasn't a very nice way to talk to any of your students. I narrowed my eyes as we continued walking through the hall. I scanned the Great Hall to see if I could find Cedric, but there were so many people moving back and forth that it was impossible to find a single person. Save Karkaroff, who seemed to take up the entire room. Karkaroff turned and led his students toward the doors, reaching them at the same moment as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I. Harry stopped to let him walk through first.

"Thank you," Karkaroff said carelessly, glancing at him.

And then Karkaroff froze. He turned his head back to Harry and stared at him as though he couldn't believe his eyes. Behind their headmaster, the students from Durmstrang came to a halt too. Karkaroff's eyes moved slowly up Harry's face and fixed upon his scar. The Durmstrang students were staring curiously at Harry too. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw comprehension dawn on a few of their faces. The boy with food all down his front nudged the girl next to him and pointed openly at Harry's forehead.

 _Awkward_... I laid a hand on Harry's arm; he seemed extremely grateful to not be completely on his own. "Yeah, that's Harry Potter," a growling voice said from behind us.

It was also a voice I'd never been quite so happy to hear. Normally I was willing to do anything to avoid the owner; today I was thrilled to see him. Professor Karkaroff spun around, as did most of the rest of his students. Mad-Eye Moody was standing there, leaning heavily on his staff, his magical eye glaring unblinkingly at the Durmstrang headmaster. The Durmstrang students looked horrified to see him. Harry looked relieved. I still wasn't thrilled with Moody, but I was glad to see him stepping into Harry's defense.

The color drained from Karkaroff's face at Moody's threat as we watched their exchange. I couldn't help but smile down at the floor. Karkaroff didn't seem like someone I would particularly enjoy being around, even less so than I did Moody. A terrible look of mingled fury and fear came over Karkaroff as I tried to cast my mind back. What would make Karkaroff so terrified of Moody? He was scary and not very nice, sure, but Karkaroff was the same way. How was he that afraid of Moody?

"You!" Karkaroff hissed, staring at Moody as though unsure he was seeing him.

"Me," Moody said grimly. "And unless you've got anything to say to Potter, Karkaroff, you might want to move. You're blocking the doorway."

It was true; half the students in the Hall were now waiting behind them, looking over each other's shoulders to see what was causing the holdup. As I glanced back I noticed Cedric was standing about seven or eight rows back. I stood up on my tiptoes to catch his eye. It took him a moment to scan the crowd and find me; when he did he gave me a brief nod. I knew what it meant. He wanted me to wait for him at the entrance to the Great Hall - to either say goodnight or see if I wanted to spend some time in the Astronomy Tower. Hopefully, the latter.

Without another word, Professor Karkaroff swept his students away with him. I wasn't the only one to look a little surprised at the exchange. They were both two very frightening men and I couldn't imagine Karkaroff being afraid of much. What was it Moody had done that had made him so afraid? I so desperately wanted to know, but I had a feeling Moody wouldn't appreciate my asking. Moody watched him until he was out of sight, his magical eye fixed upon his back, a look of intense dislike upon his mutilated face.

"That was weird," I whispered to Harry as Moody strutted off.

"What do you think that was about?" Harry asked.

"Not a clue, though I'd say Karkaroff and Mad-Eye have history," I said. As we began walking again, I noticed Cedric moving to come up to my side. I smiled back at him. "You three go ahead. I'll see you later."

All three turned back to see Cedric. Harry rolled his eyes, Hermione smiled, and Ron scowled. "See you," Harry said flippantly.

"Don't have too much fun," Ron warned.

"Thanks, guys," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

Harry and Ron walked off, leaving Hermione alone at my side for a moment. "See you later, meaning you won't be back tonight," she whispered.

"Ah. You know me well," I teased.

"Goodnight," Hermione chuckled.

"We'll see," I giggled, winking at her.

Hermione's face remained blank. "What are you talking about?"

I rolled my eyes and chuckled quietly. "I'll tell you when you're older."

A few seconds passed before the realized dawned in Hermione's eyes. "Really?" she asked curiously.

"Not yet. Talk about it later?" I offered.

Our conversation couldn't happen yet anyway. I didn't know where I stood with Cedric on that topic. "You bet!" Hermione yelped, grabbing at my arm. "You're not getting out of that conversation."

"Night, Mione," I said.

"Night, Tara," Hermione replied.

We smiled at each other for a moment as she turned and walked back toward Harry and Ron. The moment Hermione had walked off, Cedric appeared at my side and looped an arm over my shoulder. I glanced up at him and smiled, all the while noticing some nasty glares being thrown my way from the Beauxbatons students. "You're so good at making new friends," Cedric teased as we walked off.

"I didn't mean to say it that loud," I said defensively.

"I just appreciate the fact that you were the only one to say something," Cedric snorted.

There was no way I was the only person to say something. Hell, Hermione had said something! Of course, her comment had been much quieter. "Well... they were annoying!" I defended myself weakly.

"Would you not laugh if you were in Beauxbatons?" Cedric offered.

Why did he always have to be reasonable? It was supposed to be his job to be unreasonable with me. "Did you not know one of the rules of being a boyfriend is agreeing with your girlfriend even when she's wrong?" I said, glaring at him. Cedric laughed, wrapping his arm a little tighter around me. "Otherwise, I'll go find something else to do."

"What's that?" Cedric asked curiously, probably trying to test my limits.

"Not you," I shot back without thinking.

 _You're not in front of your friends, you idiot!_ My face drained of color as the realization of what I'd just said hit me. Cedric chuckled again, looking down at the stone floor. What had I just done? "That would be a tragedy," Cedric said teasingly.

"I didn't -" I started trying to argue before stopping myself. He already knew what I was saying. "Never mind."

"Shall we take this up to the Astronomy Tower?" Cedric asked, trying to relieve my awkwardness.

"Absolutely," I said, grateful for the distraction.

We smiled at each other as we linked hands and moved quickly through the crowd. Like most nights we snuck away after curfew, we had to be careful that no one saw us. We were both careful as we wandered through the halls, trying to avoid anyone we knew seeing us. It was hard darting through the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students as we made our way up toward the Astronomy Tower, considering both Houses were up in the turrets at the top of the castle. I had to be particularly careful to ensure none of my Gryffindor friends saw me.

There was a particularly close call as we rounded the corner by the Fat Lady's portrait. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were making their way toward the Fat Lady but the boys turned back when I was mere yards away from them. If not for Hermione pretending to trip, drawing the boy's attention back to her, I would have been caught. I shot her a quick wink before dragging Cedric off around the corner. We were just barely able to avoid the Ravenclaw students heading to their Common Room to dart up the back entrance stairs to the Astronomy Tower.

We both let out deep breaths as we wandered deeper into the tower. I smiled at the warm breeze blowing in through the opening. "How did you know about this entrance?" Cedric asked curiously, looking back at the staircase we'd just come up.

"Can't take all my boyfriends up the same way," I teased.

Cedric's face fell into a thin line. "Aha. You're funny," he said flatly.

"Yes, I am," I said proudly.

We smiled at each other as Cedric took my hand and dragged me along with him. We wandered over to the bars at the edge of the Astronomy Tower and plopped down. Cedric wrapped an arm over my shoulder and pressed a kiss against my forehead. "Can I ask you something?" he said after a brief silence.

"Of course," I said.

"Do you think I can do it?" Cedric asked.

"Win the Triwizard Tournament?" I offered.

"I meant to ask whether or not you thought the goblet would even spit out my name," Cedric said. Did he doubt his ability? "But it's good to know that I already have an answer to that one."

I laughed quietly. "There's no one at the school better suited to be the champion," I told him honestly. There was no one better. Not even me. He deserved it. "It'll be you. I'm sure of it."

Cedric smiled. "Thanks, Tara." I smiled back, nodding at him. "I'm sorry you can't compete."

It would have been fun to get the chance for eternal glory - not just people knowing me as Harry Potter's best friend - but this tournament was for him. "You know, it almost sounds fun. If I were seventeen maybe there's a chance I would go for it. But I'm not," I shrugged, determined that someone else would get to have the fun this year. "For once I think it'll be fun to sit back and enjoy the simple life. Let someone else have the spotlight."

Cedric chuckled as I gently nudged against his arm. "Are you gonna be able to give it up for an entire year?"

"For you, I think I can manage," I said.

As we stared at each other I felt a lump form in my throat. That little bubble was forming in my chest that I'd so often been feeling the past few months every time I was around Cedric. I couldn't quite put a name on what I was feeling, but I knew the words that were on the tip of my tongue. Words I was terrified to say. Words I wasn't sure if I was ready to say yet. Words I wasn't sure if Cedric was ready to hear. I was extremely grateful when a grin spread over his face and he leaned forward to press a kiss against my mouth.

The butterflies returned full-force as his arms wound around my back, tugging me into him. It didn't take us long to shed the outer layer of our robes, tossing them away from ourselves and leaving us in our regular Muggles clothes. I smiled as I broke the kiss and reached back for Cedric's discarded sweater to pull it over my head. Now that the sun had gone down and we were up in the breezeway of the Astronomy Tower, it was rather chilly out. Cedric laughed at my actions as I leaned in and pressed another kiss to his lips.

My heart gave a vague flutter as Cedric's hands wound up from my shoulders to behind my neck, wrapping themselves in the strands of my wind-blown hair. At a moment like this, I never wanted to leave the Astronomy Tower. I could have stayed here forever. It was a few minutes later that we were leaned down to lay against our discarded robes that were now acting as makeshift blankets. I immediately knew that there was a very small chance of actually making it back to Gryffindor Tower tonight.

Nearly a full hour had passed before Cedric and I finally broke our heated kiss. It was only because I had no more breath in my lungs. I moved slightly to lay in the crook of Cedric's shoulder. "Will your friends be cheering for me?" Cedric asked quietly.

Perhaps it was for the best that we slowed things down a bit. It seemed that we moved further with each other every time we had one of these nights. "Unfortunately not. They don't like you very much," I said honestly. Cedric laughed, having known perfectly well that Ron and Harry didn't like him. "They wouldn't like you anyway just because you're not from Gryffindor. But they don't like you because we're dating."

"That's not fair," Cedric huffed. "My friends like you."

"Well, I'm likable. You suck," I teased.

Cedric laughed, whacking me on the shoulder. "I hate you."

"No, I don't think you do," I teased playfully, laying my head against his shoulder.

"You might be right about that," Cedric chuckled, taking a strand of my hair and twirling it around his fingers.

"Might be?" I hissed, leaning up and looking him in the eyes. He laughed again as I huffed. "Who knows? Maybe they'll get over it."

"Will they?"

"Maybe."

It was very unlikely that my friends would ever be okay with my dating Cedric, but I could at least pretend they would eventually warm up to him. "Why is it that they don't like me?" Cedric asked curiously.

 _Because they're pathetically overprotective._ "Well, they don't like anyone that might show even the slightest interest in me. But it's a little something more with you," I said, unsure if I should have continued. Did I want to put it out there? Cedric hummed for me to continue and after a moment's hesitation, I did. "They don't trust what we do when we're alone together. Or, what they think we want to do."

Cedric nodded understandingly. I had to stop myself from barking at him to say something. Eventually, to my surprise, a grin turned up on his face. "What is they think we do?" he teased.

"Don't make me say it," I whined.

"Well, I could see why they would think _you_ would do something like that. _You're_ inappropriate," Cedric teased. "As for me, I'm a proper gentleman."

"I've never heard you sound so much like me," I huffed. "Also, proper my ass. Who's up here spending the night with me away from their actual bed in the Hufflepuff dormitory?"

"You're a bad influence," Cedric said carelessly. I glared at him as a playful grin split his lips. "But you're also much better company."

He had damn well better know it by now. I was always the best choice for company. Even with my big head, my face still burned brightly with a blush at the compliment. I would always prefer being with him too. Cedric wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled me into a longing kiss. We remained wrapped together for what felt like forever, neither one willing to break the kiss. We were only separated when the bell tower chimed away the midnight hour. When we pulled back, we were both breathless with flushed faces.

Had we been together for that long? Cedric pressed a kiss against my temple and again against my forehead before settling back to watch the midnight sky. I smiled up at the stars as I watched the light dance across the moon. I'd always liked the rare romantic moments I got with Cedric that couldn't be interrupted by our nosy friends. He reached down and intertwined our fingers together. I smiled up at him as he brushed a piece of hair out of my eyes. Suddenly, a thought hit me. Speaking of being nosy...

"When are you going to put your name in?" I asked.

Cedric hummed quietly as he considered my offer. "I haven't decided whether or not I want to do it in front of people. I don't know if I want everyone staring at me while I do it."

"Go right now if you don't want anyone to see you," I offered. No one would be down in the middle of the night. He would just have to be careful to avoid being caught by any teachers or Prefects. I smiled as Cedric went to rise to his feet before hesitating slightly. My eyebrow rose. "Or maybe you do want a little bit of that glory."

"Maybe I'm catching that bug from you," Cedric teased, nudging me.

"It's easy to get accustomed to the limelight," I giggled.

"I'm not sure if I want people to see me or not."

"You sound hesitant to even put your name in."

Did Cedric suddenly not want to be in the Triwizard Tournament? I thought he'd been looking forward to it all summer. "My mother doesn't think it's a good idea," Cedric said, frowning.

Now that was surprising. "No?" I asked.

Cedric shook his head. "She thinks it's too dangerous. You know, she thinks back to hundreds of years ago when people were dying every year," he explained. A chill shot up my spine at the thought of Cedric's death. That would _never_ happen. Dumbledore wouldn't let it. "But they've updated the rules and there are more safety precautions in place now."

"Are you afraid?" I asked curiously.

Cedric shook his head. "No. But I don't want her to be either."

I ran my hand up his arm. "That's sweet of you," I told him. Cedric pressed a kiss against my temple. "What does your dad think?"

Knowing Amos Diggory, I was positive he thought Cedric being in the Triwizard Tournament was the best idea in the world. "He thinks it's the best idea in the world. I think he'll try and sue the Goblet of Fire if my name isn't pulled," Cedric said, chuckling affectionately.

I laughed quietly. "He just wants the best for you. He loves you," I said, placing my hand over his.

"Do you think I'd stand a chance?" Cedric asked.

"Against me? No way," I said proudly. Cedric huffed. "But since I'm too young I say go for it."

Cedric laughed as he shoved against my arm. "Thanks," he snapped. We smiled at each other as I rested my head against his shoulder. "What do you suppose we'd be doing?"

"I'm not sure. Something incredibly dangerous, I'd assume. But it couldn't be that bad. Say like battling a basilisk?" I teased.

Cedric glared at me. "Aren't you special?"

"Duh," I said proudly.

Harry and I remained the only two people I knew of - maybe in history - to survive battling a basilisk. I didn't see _him_ doing that. "You are quite special," Cedric said sweetly, letting me lean against him.

I smiled at him. "Can I ask you something?" Cedric nodded. "Do you think it could be dangerous? The tournament?" I asked carefully.

The thought of Cedric getting hurt, or worse, sent a horrible pain through my chest. "I think it's going to be a part of the tournament. I think it would be silly and ignorant to think that I would be going into the tournament without even a little bit of danger being a possibility," Cedric said reasonably. His lips turned up in a teasing grin. "Are you getting worried now?"

For some reason, the joke that would have normally made me laugh fell flat this time. "Would you laugh at me if I said I was?" I said somewhat awkwardly.

Cedric shook his head. "No. I would think it was sweet... and a normal reaction," he pointed out. "But I'll be alright."

"Does your mother believe that?" I asked curiously.

Cedric shook his head. "No. Do you?"

He had to be all right. I would kill him myself if he wasn't. "I think I'll have to. Or else I'll be freaked out through the entire tournament," I said honestly.

The thought of Cedric being hurt in the tournament was awful. "Well, for a year you'll get to know how I feel every year watching you and your friends do some insane thing to save the school," Cedric teased.

That was a fair enough statement. He was always terrified that I would do something stupid and get myself killed - which was a fair statement. I supposed it was my turn to be the worrier. I giggled quietly as Cedric leaned forward and pressed a kiss against my mouth, wrapping a hand behind my waist. We remained locked together for a long time as Cedric reached up and wrapped his hand into my long blonde hair. It didn't take him long to use the grip he had on my hair to pull me up against his chest.

If I could have stayed in the Astronomy Tower with Cedric forever I would have. It was so peaceful up here. There were no problems and no other people. I so desperately wished we never had to leave here and go back to our normal lives. I didn't want to go back to classes. I didn't want to have to worry about the Triwizard Tournament or who the champions would be or if Cedric would be safe if he were chosen. I just wanted to stay like this with the rest of the school year with no worries other than making sure we didn't fall asleep and roll off the edge of the Astronomy Tower.

When we pulled apart a little while later I pushed myself back against the floor and laid back against the cool stone. Cedric watched me with a grin on his face before shifting to the floor with me. We laid on the floor together for a while as I laid my head on his chest and he ran his fingers through my hair, nearly putting me to sleep. He leaned over me a moment later and pressed a small kiss against my mouth as I slipped my eyes closed, relaxing as the wind blew through my hair.

We had been silent for a long time when I spoke again. "Are all of your admirers going to steal you away?" I teased.

Cedric chuckled, tugging on my hair playfully. "They could never. How about you?" he asked. I raised a brow curiously. "Do I have some competition from the Durmstrang boys?"

I laughed. "No way. They all look like overgrown birds."

Cedric barked out a laugh loud enough to be heard down in the Great Hall. "Tara!" he gasped, whacking me on the shoulder.

Perhaps that was a little rude. But it was true. I just forgot that most people didn't speak about their opinions on others as openly as I did. "We've been dating for almost a year and you're still surprised by the way I speak about people?" I asked him carelessly.

"Somehow I am, though I know I shouldn't be," Cedric said.

Right he was. I smiled up at him as I pushed my head back into the spot joining his shoulder and arm. "I will be rooting for you, you know?" I said quietly.

Cedric smiled at my honesty - and rare moment of actual niceness - as he leaned down and pressed a kiss against my forehead. "I know. I'll make sure to dedicate my win to you."

"To me?" I asked curiously.

"To you. All those crazy tasks I'll have to do, someone had to teach me how," he teased.

My idiotic antics over the years likely would have come in handy in the Triwizard Tournament. "You should have come along with us to the Chamber of Secrets. We could have taught you all sorts of fun things. Fighting a giant snake without being able to look it in the eyes, battling a homicidal maniac, and learning a new language that no one else speaks," I teased happily.

Cedric was silent for a long time as he gave me a blank stare. "You wonder why I worry about you. Things like that are completely normal for you," he said, chuckling.

"Not normal. Just expected."

"That's the same thing, Tara."

"It is not!"

"You speak about a giant murderous snake like it's nothing to bat an eye at," Cedric argued.

"It's not. For me," I said carelessly. We both laughed. "Can I ask you something else?"

"You will even if I tell you no," Cedric pointed out.

He knew me well. "That is true," I said, smiling at him again. As much as I wanted to keep messing with him, I had an actual question. "Why do you think they've finally decided to bring the Triwizard Tournament back?"

Cedric hummed thoughtfully. "I imagine they've wanted to for a long time. I guess they finally feel like the rules have been tightened enough and the tasks are dangerous enough without being too life-threatening," he reasoned. "Why?"

"I don't know. I guess I don't believe in things being coincidental in my life anymore," I told him.

It did seem to be odd timing. I just didn't know why it seemed to be odd timing. "I wouldn't be too concerned. You're not even old enough to enter," Cedric pointed out. I nodded my agreement. It was true enough but something still struck me as odd. "Would you enter? If you were old enough?"

"Probably. I think it would be fun," I said honestly. Though I was positive the Goblet of Fire wouldn't think I was proper to represent Hogwarts. "But I'm kind of glad I'm not old enough. One year where I'll get to have fun without worrying about my life."

"You'll worry for mine instead," Cedric said.

"Exactly!" I chirped happily.

Cedric rolled his eyes at me as I giggled quietly. Cedric's arm reached back over my shoulders and rested down against my back. I smiled up at him as I rested my chin against his chest. He briefly tilted my chin up so I could press a short kiss against his mouth. I knew Hermione would be furious with me for staying in the Astronomy Tower with Cedric all night - though she had been slowly coming around to the idea - I didn't care. She would get over it. As long as the boys didn't know where I was all night, I would be just fine.

After a long period of silence, I twitched slightly, quickly realizing that I had woken myself up. I must have drifted off at some point in the middle of the night while we weren't talking. I looked up from my spot in Cedric's lap and looked out the open railing of the Astronomy Tower. It was unsurprising to see that there was a light pink tinge in the sky. Yes. We had fallen asleep and now it appeared that we were in the early hours of the morning. I twitched again when I felt Cedric's hands gently run against my hair.

"Good morning," Cedric teased, his voice riddled with sleep.

I rolled over so that I was looking up at him and smiled. "We have to stop meeting like this," I teased.

"I don't mind it too much."

I smiled at the playful and tired look on his face. "What time is it?" I asked through a yawn.

Cedric moved his arm out from underneath my shoulder and glanced down at his Muggle watch. "Just past five."

"We should probably get going soon," I muttered.

As much as I would have loved to stay here all night and sleep for another four hours, I knew it was time to go. "It's Saturday," Cedric pointed out. "People will be sleeping in today."

He wasn't wrong. Any other Saturday breakfast would go until ten o'clock (unlike nine o'clock during the weekdays) and people would sleep until the last minute. "Normally they would be. Not today. Everyone's going to be milling around the Great Hall all morning to see who's putting their name in the Goblet of Fire," I told him.

Honestly, I was one of those people. I wanted to see who was going to try and put their name forward. Cedric groaned, driving his head into my shoulder. "Right. Forgot about that. We should probably be on our way then," he said.

It was my turn to groan. "Five more minutes."

"Five more minutes works for me," Cedric said easily.

Neither one of us were morning people. Anything to stay in bed a little while longer. We both laid against the stone floor for a while longer as Cedric wrapped a finger around a shaft of my hair. I smiled at his movements as I stared up at the ceiling. I knew that I needed to get going to ensure no one saw us sneaking in first thing in the morning but I also didn't want to leave our spot. I was perfectly comfortable where I was right now. It was more than five minutes that passed before either one of us could force ourselves up off the stone floor.

"You'll be putting your name in the goblet today, then?" I asked Cedric curiously.

He was pulling on his robes we had been sleeping on last night. "I should have done it last night, but other things got in the way," Cedric teased, grinning at me.

Right. I had told him that he should have put his name in the Goblet of Fire last night. "I'd apologize, but I don't care," I teased. We grinned at each other as I ran my hands through my hair, trying to untangle the knots. "Are you nervous?"

"Yeah, a little," Cedric admitted.

It was the first time I had ever heard Cedric openly admit that he was nervous about something. He was always so brave. I smiled at him, walking up and grabbing his arm affectionately. "Don't be. You're the best person to be the Hogwarts champion, and as much as I like to tease you about it, you know that I'll be supporting you," I said quietly.

Cedric smiled, pressing a kiss against my forehead. "Thank you."

"Are you allowed to have help in the tournament?" I asked curiously.

Maybe I couldn't be a champion in the tournament, but I wanted to have some part in it. "You're allowed as much help as you can get. The only thing you can't have is the leaders of your school trying to help you by telling you what you'll be facing," Cedric explained. I nodded at him. It would help if the champions were popular. "Friends and family and even professor assistance is fair game."

"Hmm... Well, let me know if you're planning on facing a Basilisk, Dementor, or Voldemort," I said what I thought was teasingly. Cedric twitched slightly and I frowned, having forgotten about not saying Voldemort's name out loud. "Sorry."

Cedric shook his head slowly. "It's always impressed me that you say his name."

"Why?" I asked as we turned around and exited the Astronomy Tower.

"Because you're the only person I know who does," Cedric explained.

"Harry does. So does Dumbledore," I pointed out.

My parents also said his name. Cedric shook his head. "I'd be surprised if Dumbledore did avoid saying his name. After all, he's his only match," he reasoned. I nodded at him. That was fair enough. Dumbledore wasn't afraid of anyone or anything. "Sometimes I think Harry forgets exactly who You-Know-Who is. He didn't grow up on the stories like the rest of us did."

"No, he lived it," I said.

Cedric flushed. "Alright, that's true."

That was when I realized I shouldn't have said what I had. "Sorry, that was kind of rude, wasn't it?" I asked awkwardly.

Cedric shook his head. "No more than my comment was stupid."

"It's okay. You're cuter when you don't think," I teased, flicking him under the chin.

"You're so annoying," Cedric huffed.

"Yes, I am and you like me anyway," I said playfully.

Cedric smiled fondly. "That I do."

We all knew that I was annoying. Who knew why people wanted to spend time with me? I smiled, wrapping an arm around his waist. "We should go before anyone notices we didn't make it back to the Common Rooms last night," I said, realizing we had been lingering at the staircase leading up to the Astronomy Tower for far too long.

Cedric snorted as he tugged me down the stairs. "You wonder why the broom closet rumors still run rampant?"

My head snapped up as I looked him in the eye. He was chuckling under his breath as the pink tinge flooded my cheeks. I couldn't believe those rumors were _still_ going on. "People are still talking about those?" I whined.

Cedric laughed. "You don't listen."

"Not to that," I said.

Those weren't the kind of rumors I liked to listen to. Cedric smiled at me again as we reached the stairs separating the upper section of the castle from the lower. "I'll see you in a few minutes, I suppose," Cedric said.

"See you," I replied.

He leaned down and pressed a small kiss against my mouth as we turned and headed to our respective Common Rooms before people started waking up. I rounded a corner off the staircase and came upon the Fat Lady, giving her the password after a moment of her staring at me distrustfully. The Common Room was empty. I grinned as I darted up to my dorm and quickly changed into casual clothes. Hermione, who was awake already, spotted me immediately and grinned. The others were still asleep. We finished getting ready in relative silence before heading downstairs where Ron and Harry were waiting.

I didn't get so much as a 'good morning' before Harry asked, "Where did you go last night?"

Right. I had almost forgotten that they wouldn't have seen me return to Gryffindor Tower even well into the night. "Wandered the castle for a little while. Couldn't sleep," I said carelessly.

"Liar," Ron scoffed.

"Why don't you go drool over Krum a little more? Drop it," I snapped.

As that day was Saturday, most students would normally have breakfasted late. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I, however, were not alone in rising much earlier than we usually did on weekends. Cedric was right in assuming most of the school would be downstairs to watch and see who had the nerve to enter the tournament. When we finally went down into the entrance hall, we saw about twenty people milling around it, some of them eating toast, all examining the Goblet of Fire. Many were whispering excitedly.

For a moment I scanned the hall to see if it looked like any of them had just placed their names in. It didn't seem that way. Most people looked and sounded like they were about ready to start a betting ring. I turned back to examine the Goblet of Fire with the rest of them. It had been placed in the center of the hall on the stool that normally bore the Sorting Hat. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around it in every direction. It was Dumbledore's Age Line that suddenly seemed so easy to beat.

"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a Third-Year girl eagerly.

"All the Durmstrang lot," she replied. "But I haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts yet."

"They're probably waiting to see their competition," I reasoned.

Cedric had been curious to see who else was planning on entering their name. "Bet some of them put it in last night after we'd all gone to bed. I would've if it had been me... wouldn't have wanted everyone watching. What if the goblet just gobbed you right back out again?" Harry said.

That person would certainly never want to show their face again. "Well, it would give everyone else a good laugh," I said, eyeing a piece of toast a Sixth-Year was holding longingly.

"Eternal glory, be brilliant wouldn't it?" Ron asked dreamily. "In three years from now, we'll be old enough to be chosen."

"Maybe you. Only two years for me," I teased.

"Would you?" Ron asked me curiously.

"I'd consider it," I said.

Whether or not the Goblet of Fire would choose me would be another question entirely. It wanted to choose someone honest and that wasn't always me. "Yeah, well, rather you two than me," Harry told Ron and me.

"Big baby," I teased.

Harry turned a heated glare on me as I smiled at him. It would never get old messing with him. Harry looked like he was about to say something nasty back to me when I reached my arm up and slung it over his shoulder, squeezing him so tightly to me that he couldn't speak. As we smiled at each other, we heard someone laughing behind us. Turning, I saw Fred, George, and Lee Jordan hurrying down the staircase, all three of them looking extremely excited. I stopped to wait for them to catch up to us.

"Done it," Fred said in a triumphant whisper to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I. "Just taken it."

"You're kidding," I said, my jaw practically on the floor.

"Nope," Fred said, popping the 'p.'

"What?" Ron asked.

"The Aging Potion, dung brains," Fred said, addressing the others.

It was almost impossible to stop the shit-eating grin from appearing on my mouth. I was so excited to see what Dumbledore's planned punishment was for people trying to outsmart his Age Line. "One drop each," George said, rubbing his hands together with glee. "We only need to be a few months older."

"Cooked it up this morning," Fred said, showing me the blue-tinged liquid.

"We're going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins," Lee said, grinning broadly.

"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," Hermione said with a warning tone to her voice. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this."

Hermione let out a loud groan as I slammed my foot down on hers as hard as I could. She looked like she was about ready to toss me out of the stained-glass windows in the front of the Great Hall but stopped short when I pointed to the boys. She rolled her eyes. She might have wanted to try and protect them but I was desperate to know what embarrassment Dumbledore had planned. She had to let me have this one moment of happiness. Thankfully, Fred, George, and Lee ignored her.

But maybe I should have warned them... They would ignore me but at least they couldn't say I hadn't tried. "You three are going to regret this," I told them regretfully.

"Will not," George said determinedly.

"It's not going to work," Hermione chimed into the conversation with a sing-song type of voice.

"Oh, yeah?" Fred asked teasingly, sidling up to Hermione's side and leaning into her. "And why's that, Granger?"

Hermione closed the book she had been reading as she'd walked and pointed toward the thin golden line. "You see this? This is an Age Line. Dumbledore drew it himself," she told him.

"So?" Fred asked carelessly.

Hermione finally turned to look at him. "So, a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by something pathetically dimwitted such as an Age Potion," she reasoned.

Of course, but Dumbledore had to be betting on someone trying to pass the Age Line. He was likely watching from the shadows to see who would do it. "That's why it's so brilliant," George said, moving to her other side and mirroring his twin's actions.

"Because it's so pathetically dimwitted," Fred finished.

The twins grinned at Hermione before pushing away from her and headed back toward the Goblet of Fire. Harry, Ron, and I stood at a slight distance to watch them. "Ready, boys?" George asked.

"Ready," Fred said to the other two, quivering with excitement. "C'mon, then - I'll go first."

We weren't the only ones to want to see what would happen. As none of the professors were anywhere in sight, we were all free to witness the twins do something extraordinarily against the rules. I watched, fascinated, as Fred pulled a slip of parchment out of his pocket bearing the words Fred Weasley - Hogwarts. Fred walked right up to the edge of the line and stood there, rocking on his toes like a diver preparing for a fifty-foot drop. George and Lee, each other their own pieces of paper in their hands followed a moment later.

All three pulled out a vial full of the Aging Potion. I watched as they linked arms and tilted them up to their lips with a small 'bottoms up' and drained them. Nothing happened. Of course, they wouldn't look different aging just a few months. So, with the eyes of every person in the entrance hall upon him, Fred took a great breath and stepped over the line. For a split second, I thought it had worked - George certainly thought so, for he let out a yell of triumph and leaped after Fred. The pair stood in the center of the ring and cheered loudly.

It was just a second later that the rest of the entrance hall erupted in cheers. But next moment, there was a loud sizzling sound and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle as though they had been thrown by an invisible shot-putter. They landed painfully, ten feet away on the cold stone floor. The crowd screamed and ran up to them in a panic, but they were nothing worse than bruised. That wasn't it, though. To add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise and both of them sprouted identical long white beards much like Dumbledore's.

The entrance hall rang with laughter. The twins didn't seem to notice at first as they shook their heads clear from the impact. It was only when their gazes fell on each other that they realized what had just happened. "You said..." George gasped.

"You said..." Fred growled at his twin.

It didn't take long for the two of them to launch over each other and start wrestling. They looked about ready to kill each other but I knew they would be over it in a matter of minutes. It _was_ funny. The crowd erupted in cheers and laughter as the twins pummeled each other, rolling further and further from the Goblet of Fire. Everyone followed the twins, chuckling madly. It took a little while but eventually, even Fred and George joined in, after they had stopped fighting long enough to get to their feet and take a good look at each other's beards.

"I did warn you," a deep, amused voice said, and everyone turned to see Professor Dumbledore coming out of the Great Hall. He surveyed Fred and George, his eyes twinkling. I grinned to myself. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."

Well, at least Fred and George weren't the only ones who had tried to beat the Age Line. I chuckled again and shook my head along with everyone else in the entrance hall. Dumbledore's punishment had been perfect for him. It didn't take long for a line of older students to begin placing their name in the goblet again while those watching applauded. I smiled as Cedric was shoved into the Age Line by his friends. He chuckled as he reached up and tossed his name into the goblet to a roar of applause. He turned back in time to see me send him a playful wink.

As he wandered over to me, I gave him a proud smile and a quick kiss. "Congratulations," I said happily.

"No turning back now," Cedric said, only a hint of nerves in his voice.

He didn't need to be concerned. He would be chosen as champion and I was positive he would be able to beat whoever was picked from Beauxbatons. Durmstrang would be harder, but he could do it. Just as I thought that the room went completely silent. I broke eye contact with Cedric to notice that Viktor Krum had walked in. He didn't give so much as a glance to anyone as he walked past the Age Line and dropped his name in the goblet. As he turned back he looked over to the bleachers that had been set up, where Hermione had placed herself and looked right at her.

For a moment he looked angry but then I saw it. The brief twitch of his lips. The smile that crossed her mouth as she tried to go back to her book. "Excuse me," I told Cedric, darting over to Hermione without explanation. She jumped as I landed on the bleachers next to her. "What was that?"

"What?" Hermione gasped, looking up at me.

"That look," I said.

"What look?" Hermione asked dumbly.

She wasn't always the brightest about boys but I knew she wasn't that dumb. I had seen that smile cross her face when Krum had looked at her. "All I wanted was for you to get a nice boyfriend this year. Maybe a sweet Ravenclaw who liked books or something. But I'll take one of the world's best Seekers," I teased, looking back to the entrance hall where Krum had disappeared to.

Hermione rolled her eyes but her cheeks were tinted pink. "Tara, honestly."

"You might have to wrestle Ron for him though," I continued.

"Tara!" Hermione gasped.

"Oh, don't bother. I'm already devising a plan that's not worth fighting me on," I told her.

I was going to find a way to get Hermione Granger and Viktor Krum together even if it killed me. It would be like a fun side project for me to do throughout the year, even if Hermione didn't want me to. She tried arguing to get me to not bother with it but I ignored her. It didn't take long for the crowd to die down from Krum's exciting entry and get back to Fred and George, who had now set off for the hospital wing, accompanied by Lee, who was still howling with laughter. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I also chortling, went in to breakfast.

The decorations in the Great Hall had changed this morning. As it was Halloween, a cloud of live bats was fluttering around the enchanted ceiling, while hundreds of carved pumpkins leered from every corner. I had always loved the Halloween decorations more than any other in Hogwarts. Harry led the way over to Dean and Seamus, who were discussing those Hogwarts students of seventeen or over who might be entering. It seemed that all around the Great Hall students at every table were discussing the same thing, though Hufflepuff seemed mostly focused on Cedric.

"There's a rumor going around that Warrington got up early and put his name in," Dean told us. "That big bloke from Slytherin who looks like a sloth."

Harry and I exchanged a look with each other. We had both played Quidditch against Warrington. He was a big ugly brute who tried anything possible to knock players off their brooms. I had almost gotten my head knocked off by Warrington a few times. I would have lost it if he were the champion for Hogwarts. He wouldn't have been, though. There were better picks from each House - even Slytherin had some halfway decent Sixth and Seventh-Years. In the meantime, I shook my head in disgust.

"Warrington's a moron. No way would the goblet pick him," I said.

"We can't have a Slytherin champion!" Harry shouted.

" _That's_ what you're concerned about?" I asked Harry disbelievingly.

Before he got the chance to answer, Seamus continued. "And all the Hufflepuff are talking about Diggory," Seamus said contemptuously. I rolled my eyes. "But I wouldn't have thought he'd have wanted to risk his good looks." I opened my mouth to argue that Cedric was very brave and didn't care much what he looked like when Seamus spoke over me. "I'm not apologizing just because you're dating him."

Who in Gryffindor took into account what my feelings were each time they insulted Cedric? No one. "What else is new?" I huffed to myself. "Better Cedric than Warrington, though, right?"

"That's not saying much," Ron muttered.

"Listen!" Hermione said suddenly.

People were cheering out in the entrance hall. Someone had entered. We all swiveled around in our seats and saw Angelina Johnson coming into the Hall, grinning in an embarrassed sort of way. A tall black girl who played Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Angelina came over to us, sat down, and said, "Well, I've done it! Just put my name in!"

"You're kidding!" Ron said, looking impressed.

"Nice!" I added, sharing a high-five with her.

"Are you seventeen, then?" Harry asked her.

"Course she is, can't see a beard, can you?" Ron said.

"I had my birthday last week," Angelina told him.

"Congratulations, Angelina! Good luck," I said earnestly.

As much as I would have loved to see Cedric get the chance to shine, it would have been cool to have a Gryffindor champion. "Thanks, Tara," Angelina said, blushing slightly.

"Well, I'm glad someone from Gryffindor's entering," Hermione said. "I really hope you get it, Angelina!"

"Thanks, Hermione," Angelina said, smiling at her.

"Yeah, better you than Pretty-Boy Diggory," Seamus said, causing several Hufflepuff's passing their table to scowl heavily at him. He didn't look the slightest bit bothered by it until he saw my glare. His face turned pink in embarrassment.

"How long are we going to use that one?" I groaned.

"Forever," Harry said.

Everyone at the table laughed as I rolled my eyes. It didn't take long for us to finish our breakfasts and begin moving about for our days. "What're we going to do today, then?" Ron asked Harry, Hermione, and I as we left the Great Hall.

"Wait for them to announce the champions," I said honestly.

"Something that doesn't require sitting here and waiting for ten hours," Ron said, laughing.

"We haven't been down to visit Hagrid yet," Harry said.

"Okay, just as long as he doesn't ask us to donate a few fingers to the skrewts," Ron said.

"Will you be joining us?" Harry asked me.

My gaze turned back to the Hufflepuff table. Cedric was currently being crowded by most of the students in Hufflepuff. I didn't want to fight through that mob. "I think so. I don't want to deal with his fan club," I told the others.

They nodded as a look of great excitement suddenly dawned on Hermione's face. What was that about? "I've just realized - I haven't asked Hagrid to join S.P.E.W. yet! Wait for me, will you, while I nip upstairs and get the badges?" Hermione asked happily.

Oh, absolutely not. "Just kidding, I think I'll go find Cedric," I said, turning to the Hufflepuff table.

"No!" Harry yelled, grabbing my arm to stop me from running off. "You're stuck with us now."

"What is it with her?" Ron asked, exasperated, as Hermione ran away up the marble staircase.

"This is why I want to get her a boyfriend. She'll have something else on her mind!" I told him.

"Hey, Ron," Harry said suddenly. "It's your friend..."

Harry's comment stopped Ron's dead in his tracks. I wished he hadn't. I would have loved to see Ron's reaction to the thought of Hermione getting a boyfriend. I still had a feeling he had an undiscovered crush on her. The students from Beauxbatons were coming through the front doors from the grounds, among them, the girl who looked like a Veela. Those gathered around the Goblet of Fire stood back to let them pass, watching eagerly. I rolled my eyes at them. The Beauxbatons students weren't _that_ fascinating.

Madame Maxime entered the hall behind her students and organized them into a line. It seemed a little strange to me. The students acted more like they were doing military drills than actually having any fun. I was suddenly very glad my parents had decided to move back to England rather than go to France. One by one, the Beauxbatons students stepped across the Age Line and dropped their slips of parchment into the blue-white flames. As each name entered the fire, it turned briefly red and emitted sparks.

"What do you reckon will happen to the ones who aren't chosen?" Ron muttered to Harry and me as the girl who looked like a Veela dropped her parchment into the Goblet of Fire. "Reckon they'll go back to school, or hang around to watch the tournament?"

"Dunno. Hang around, I suppose. Madame Maxime's staying to judge, isn't she?" Harry asked.

"We learn the same stuff. They'll probably just be mixed in with the other lessons," I said.

Of course, I didn't want to have to deal with the Beauxbatons students throughout the rest of the year. Though I supposed I wouldn't have to see them much. We wouldn't be in the same classes. It was mildly aggravating seeing just how excited Ron looked that the Beauxbatons students would likely be staying all year. When all the Beauxbatons students had submitted their names, Madame Maxime led them back out of the hall and out onto the grounds again. They'd barely spared any of the rest of us a glance.

"Where are they sleeping, then?" Ron asked, moving toward the front doors and staring after them.

"Ew, Ron," I groaned.

A loud rattling noise behind us announced Hermione's reappearance with the box of S. P. E.W. badges. "Oh good, hurry up," Ron told her.

He jumped down the stone steps, keeping his eyes on the back of the girl who looked like a Veela, who was now halfway across the lawn with Madame Maxime. We spent most of the walk down to Hagrid's cabin rolling our eyes at Ron and silently teasing him. He wouldn't have noticed anyway, he was far too enamored with the pretty girl. Hermione didn't look too thrilled to see Ron's gaze never tear away from the girl. I giggled quietly, wishing Viktor Krum would come out from wherever he was hiding.

As we neared Hagrid's cabin on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the mystery of the Beauxbatons' sleeping quarters was solved. The gigantic powder-blue carriage in which they had arrived had been parked two hundred yards from Hagrid's front door, and the students were climbing back inside it. The elephantine flying horses that had pulled the carriage were now grazing in a makeshift paddock alongside it. It didn't seem like a comfortable place to spend the majority of a year. Harry knocked on Hagrid's door, and Fang's booming barks answered instantly.

"Bout time!" Hagrid said, when he'd flung open the door.

"Hi, Hagrid!" I chirped before getting a good look at him.

"Thought you lot'd forgotten where I live!"

"We've been really busy, Hag -" Hermione started to say, but then she stopped dead, looking up at Hagrid, apparently lost for words.

Hagrid was wearing his best (and very horrible) hairy brown suit, plus a checked yellow-and-orange tie. This wasn't the worst of it, though; he had evidently tried to tame his hair, using large quantities of what appeared to be axle grease. It was now slicked down into two bunches - perhaps he had tried a ponytail like Bill's, but found he had too much hair. The look didn't suit Hagrid at all. No one had anything to say to him until I jammed my arm into Hermione's side, figuring she was our best chance to comment on something other than Hagrid's new look.

For a moment, Hermione goggled at him, then, obviously deciding not to comment, she said, "Erm - where are the skrewts."

"Out by the pumpkin patch," Hagrid said happily. As long as they weren't in here... "They're get-tin' massive, mus' be nearly three-foot-long now. On'y trouble is, they've started killin' each other."

"Oh no, really?" Hermione asked, shooting a repressive look at Ron, who, staring at Hagrid's odd hairstyle, had just opened his mouth to say something about it.

"Yeah. S' okay, though, I've got 'em in separate boxes now. Still got abou' twenty," Hagrid said sadly.

"Well, that's lucky," Ron said. Hagrid missed the sarcasm.

Hagrid's cabin comprised a single room, in one corner of which was a gigantic bed covered in a patchwork quilt. A similarly enormous wooden table and chairs stood in front of the fire beneath the quantity of cured hams and dead birds hanging from the ceiling. We sat down at the table while Hagrid started to make tea, and were soon immersed in yet more discussion of the Triwizard Tournament. Hagrid seemed quite as excited about it as we were. The effect of the tournament hadn't been lost on anyone.

"You wait," Hagrid said, grinning. "You jus' wait. Yer going ter see some stuff yeh've never seen before. Firs' task... ah, but I'm not supposed ter say."

"Go on, Hagrid!" Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I urged him, but he just shook his head, grinning.

"I don' want ter spoil it fer yeh," Hagrid said.

"Tease," I muttered. Hagrid smiled, patting me jovially on the shoulder. "How do you already know?"

"That's a surprise," Hagrid said mysteriously. "But it's gonna be spectacular, I'll tell yeh that. Them champions're going ter have their work cut out. Never thought I'd live ter see the Triwizard Tournament played again!"

"Have their work cut out?" I asked curiously.

The concerned undertone to my comment wasn't missed by Hagrid. "Worried 'bout Diggory?" he asked.

Were the students all talking about the tournament so much that even Hagrid knew about Cedric's likely participation? "You heard about that?" I asked. Hagrid nodded, smiling at me. "Well -" I cut myself off, determined to not sound like the scared and over-protective girlfriend. "No, he can handle himself."

Everyone smiled at my still-obvious concern. We ended up having lunch with Hagrid, though we didn't eat much - Hagrid had made what he said was a beef casserole, but after Hermione unearthed a large talon in hers, she, Harry, Ron, and I lost our appetites. I'd dumped our plates sneakily out the window. However, we enjoyed ourselves trying to make Hagrid tell us what the tasks in the tournament were going to be, speculating which of the entrants were likely to be selected as champions, and wondering whether Fred and George were beardless yet.

A light rain had started to fall by mid-afternoon; it was very cozy sitting by the fire, listening to the gentle patter of the drops on the window while watching Hagrid darning his socks and arguing with Hermione about house-elves - for he flatly refused to join S.P.E.W. when she showed him her badges. The two were locked in a standstill argument that had been enthralling to watch for the last hour or so. It had been extremely difficult to keep from laughing at the put-out look on Hermione's face; she must have thought Hagrid would love the idea as he'd always loved magical creatures.

"It'd be doin' 'em an unkindness, Hermione," Hagrid said gravely, threading a massive bone needle with thick yellow yarn. "It's in their nature ter look after humans, that's what they like, see? Yeh'd be makin' 'em unhappy ter take away their work, an' insutin' 'em if yeh tried ter pay 'em."

"But Harry set Dobby free, and he was over the moon about it! And we heard he's asking for wages now!" Hermione argued.

"Yeah, well, yeh get weirdos in every breed. I'm not sayin' there isn't the odd elf who'd take freedom, but yeh'll never persuade most of 'em ter do it - no, nothin' doin', Hermione," Hagrid said.

That was enough to end the argument. Hermione looked very cross indeed and stuffed her box of badges back into her cloak pocket. I wasn't the only one to snort at the stupidity of the argument. Hermione might have lost with Hagrid but I knew she would continue with the rest of the school. As I had gotten some of Cedric's friends to take the buttons (they had all tossed them to the bottom of their trunks where no one could find them) she now thought she could get me to give out even more. I supposed it was my fault for not telling her flat-out no in the first place.

By half-past five, it was growing dark, and Ron, Harry, Hermione, and I decided it was time to get back up to the castle for the Halloween feast. my stomach had already started growling with hunger and I was eager to talk to Cedric for a few minutes before he would likely become the talk of Hogwarts. If he were named a champion, there was no doubt his fan club would grow ten-fold. Either way, I couldn't wait to hear the announcement of the school champions; would it be the pretty Veela girl and Krum?

"I'll come with yeh," Hagrid offered, putting away his darning. "Jus' give us a sec."

Hagrid got up, went across to the chest of drawers beside his bed, and began searching for something inside it. We didn't pay too much attention until a truly horrible smell reached our nostrils. Coughing, Ron said, "Hagrid, what's that?"

"Eh?" Hagrid asked, turning around with a large bottle in his hand. "Don' yeh like it?"

"Is that aftershave?" Hermione asked in a slightly choked voice.

"Er - eau de cologne," Hagrid muttered. He was blushing.

"Cologne? For what?" I asked.

"Maybe it's a bit much," Hagrid said gruffly. "I'll go take it off, hang on..."

What was he doing that he was wearing cologne for? I had never known Hagrid to do more than a simple bath. He was never a particularly clean man but it suited his personality. Hagrid stumped out of the cabin, and we saw him washing himself vigorously in the water barrel outside the window. My eyebrow raised as I watched him. The realization of why he had been wearing the cologne suddenly struck me. Of course. He wanted to try and impress Madam Maxine! I smiled after him fondly. Apparently crushes didn't get easier the older you got.

"Eau de cologne?" Hermione asked in amazement. "Hagrid?"

"And what's with the hair and the suit?" Harry asked in an undertone.

"God, you're clueless," I told them.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

"Look!" Ron said suddenly, pointing out of the window.

Hagrid had just straightened up and turned around. If he had been blushing before, it was nothing to what he was doing now. Getting to our feet very cautiously, so that Hagrid wouldn't spot us, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I peered through the window and saw that Madame Maxime and the Beauxbatons students had just emerged from their carriage, clearly about to set off for the feast too. I grinned as Hagrid straightened up from the water barrel and slowly strode over to where Madam Maxine was now waiting for him.

I'd never spoken directly to the headmistress of Beauxbatons but she didn't strike me as the type who was easily distracted. Currently, it looked like she had almost forgotten she was supposed to be escorting her students up to the castle. We couldn't hear what Hagrid was saying, but he was talking to Madame Maxime with a rapt, misty-eyed expression I had only ever seen him wear once before - when he had been looking at the baby dragon, Norbert. If I wasn't sure before, I was positive now. Hagrid had a crush on Madam Maxine.

"He's going up to the castle with her!" Hermione said indignantly. "I thought he was waiting for us!"

"Shut up, Mione!" I barked, shoving her to the side. "They're on a semi-date! That's sweet."

Did it matter that Hagrid wasn't going with us up to the castle? I didn't care the slightest, though I would have liked a few more minutes to try and get answers about the Triwizard Tournament out of him. Hagrid deserved a chance to be happy with someone who was remotely close to his level. Without so much as a backward glance at his cabin, Hagrid was trudging off up the grounds with Madame Maxime, the Beauxbatons students forgotten as they followed in their wake, jogging to keep up with their enormous strides.

"He fancies her!" Ron said incredulously.

"Duh," I muttered.

"How do you always know?" Ron asked.

"I pay attention," I deadpanned.

Ron flushed. It was obvious! How didn't they know? "Well, if they end up having children, they'll be setting a world record - bet any baby of theirs would weigh about a ton," Ron said, changing the subject.

"Don't be rude," I snapped.

If Hagrid was happy with Madam Maxine - no matter how boring and rule-oriented she looked to me - that was what mattered. Hagrid deserved to be happy. Not everyone would have wanted to be with at least partial giants. The four of us let ourselves out of the cabin and shut the door behind us. It was surprisingly dark outside. We would be wandering into the Great Hall right around the start of the feast. Drawing our cloaks more closely around ourselves, we set off up the sloping lawns.

"Oh, it's them, look!" Hermione whispered.

The Durmstrang party was walking up toward the castle from the lake. Hermione seemed slightly more excited about that than she normally would have. I sent her a bright grin but she was desperately trying to ignore me. Viktor Krum was walking side by side with Karkaroff and the other Durmstrang students were straggling along behind them. Whether to not she knew it, her eyes were locked on Krum. Ron watched Krum excitedly, but Krum did not look around as he reached the front doors a little ahead of Hermione, Ron, Harry, and I and proceeded through them.

We could deal with her little crush on Viktor Krum at another time. It wouldn't be long but she could have a few more days. When we entered the candlelit Great Hall it was almost full. The Goblet of Fire had been moved; it was now standing in front of Dumbledore's empty chair at the teachers' table. My gaze shot over to the Hufflepuff table. Cedric was sitting proudly with his friends less than an inch away from him. They already looked ready to celebrate. Fred and George - clean-shaven again - seemed to have taken their disappointment fairly well.

"Hope it's Angelina," Fred said as Harry, Ron, Hermione and I sat down.

I shot Angelina a hopeful smile but said nothing. She knew where my hope laid. "So do I!" Hermione said breathlessly. "Well, we'll soon know!"

"And you?" Fred asked me curiously.

"Don't be an asshole," I snapped.

Fred grinned and looped an arm over my shoulder as we went about our dinners. He seemed to be in much better spirits since having a beard implanted on his chin. According to Fred, Madam Pomfrey had taken a good hour to shave the beard off and use a potion to keep the hair from growing back - for a few years, at least. When the food appeared on the plates it seemed to vanish much faster than normal. Mostly because everyone wanted to get to the reading of the champions. I was sure I would make myself sick from how fast I'd eaten my dinner.

Even so, the Halloween feast seemed to take much longer than usual. Perhaps because it was our second feast in two days, I didn't seem to fancy the extravagantly prepared food as much as I would have normally. I would have been happy with a burger. Like everyone else in the Hall, judging by the constantly craning necks, the impatient expressions on every face, the fidgeting, and the standing up to see whether Dumbledore had finished eating yet, I simply wanted the plates to clear and to hear who had been selected as champions.

The feast had been going on for nearing an hour when someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned back and smiled at Cedric. "May I have a moment?" he asked.

"Pfft. No," I said carelessly.

"Tara!" Cedric barked, laughing.

"What?" I asked.

"This could be the last moment we spend together before my fame hits a new high. I need a last moment of normalcy," Cedric said, his big head filling up the Great Hall. I laughed. He had started taking after me recently. Cedric smiled again, shaking his head. "No, I just wanted to calm my nerves."

"Take a seat," I said, nodding at Hermione to move over to make room for a few minutes. The rest of the guys didn't look thrilled about having Cedric at the table but I sent them a scowl, silently warning them to not say anything. "Don't be nervous. They'll pick you. You'd be the best champion for Hogwarts. The goblet knows that."

Cedric shook his head nervously. "I can't imagine what would happen if I didn't get picked," he said.

"You'd have fun watching with the rest of us," I told him.

"Perhaps I meant more along the lines of what my father would be thinking," Cedric said.

His father would be looking for any chance for Cedric to one-up Harry's fame. "Does he know you entered your name?" I asked curiously.

Cedric nodded. "Yeah, we talked about it before the year started. He knew I would be entering and seemed determined I would be the one chosen. He'd have a stroke if I didn't."

The nerves were finally getting to Cedric as we were within minutes of the champions being chosen and having one person's life change forever. I leaned forward and placed my hand reassuringly on Cedric's arm. "Hey, you'll be writing a very exciting letter later today," I said happily. He smiled at me. "You'll also be hearing about your glory days until you're ninety so hopefully you at least have a good time in the tournament and don't get your head bitten off by a vampire or something."

Cedric's face drained of color. "That's... not helpful."

"Not trying to be," I teased. Cedric laughed; it was the first time I'd seen him relaxed all day. "But I got you to smile. Relax. It's going to be you."

"You have that much, faith?" Cedric asked.

"Of course. It can't be Warrington, after all. He's an idiot and not very fun to look at. You, on the other hand, are very fun to look at," I teased, waggling my eyebrows as best I could.

Cedric laughed as the rest of the guys at the table rolled their eyes. Cedric wrapped an arm over my shoulder and pressed a kiss into my hair as he tugged me against himself. "You think the goblet is going to take attractiveness into account?" he asked.

"Yes," I said honestly.

Maybe it wouldn't be the main focus but I doubted the goblet would pick someone who wasn't at least moderately attractive. "So, I'll be named," Cedric said proudly.

"You're sounding more and more like me every day. I don't know how you stand it," I teased.

"You're also fun to look at," Cedric said, shooting me a wink.

My friends all over the Gryffindor table groaned at our brief display of affection. I reached back to the table and grabbed an uneaten roll, tossing it back at the twins, who were making gagging faces. They both ducked out of the way as the rolls went flying. I glanced back at the rest of the Great Hall. Most people were pushing their plates away from them and trying desperately to make it obvious that they weren't going to be eating anymore. Even the teachers seemed eager to push along the end of the feast.

"People are done eating. Looks like they'll be naming the champions any minute now," I said, noticing the tense movement around the Great Hall.

"I suppose I should go back to my table," Cedric said, looking back to the Hufflepuff table whose occupants seemed eager to have him back.

"I'll see you soon, _champion_ ," I teased.

Cedric smiled. "Wish me luck."

"You don't need it," I said.

We smiled at each other again as I leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss against Cedric's mouth. He ran a hand through my hair as we slowly pulled apart. The kiss had probably lasted a little longer than it should have but I didn't care. Most of the people at the Gryffindor table were rolling their eyes and making aggravating faces at me as I pressed a final kiss against Cedric's lips and broke it quickly. When I glanced up I noticed that Fred was scowling at Cedric, who turned a vague red before rising to his feet and walking back to the Hufflepuff table.

Once he had left most people went back to their conversations about the Triwizard Tournament. Fred was still staring at Cedric hatefully. "What?" I asked him curiously.

Fred shook his head clear and looked at me. "Nothing," Fred said.

"You sure?" I asked suspiciously. "It looks like something."

Fred shook his head. "It's nothing, Tara," he said. It didn't seem like nothing but I decided to let the moment pass. I wasn't in the right mind space for that argument. "Thinking Diggory will be picked?"

At this point, even I would have been upset if Cedric wasn't chosen. "I'm confident it will be him but I'll still be happy if its Angelina," I said honestly. Cedric was my preferred champion but I would have been happy for Angelina. "As long as it's not Warrington." Fred gave me a semi blank-faced stare. Why wasn't he laughing at my insult? I decided to go another route. "Are you sure you're okay? Disappointed you've lost your fabulous beard?"

Fred finally cracked a smile. "It was lovely, wasn't it?" he asked teasingly, stroking his chin.

"I've never seen you look so handsome," I teased.

"Perhaps it's time to ask Diggory to grow a beard like Dumbledore's," Fred said.

Cedric with a beard like Dumbledore's... That wasn't a thought I would be able to get over soon. It would be so disturbing to see him like that. I laughed at Fred's idea, reaching across the table and taking his hands in my own. We remained locked together for a moment as Fred ran his hands over the back of my knuckles. My face turned from its slight tan to deep pink. I wasn't sure what was getting to me so much about the moment but I quickly pulled my hands away, rubbing them together awkwardly.

At long last, nearly an hour after the Halloween feast had begun, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state. A mere moment later there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the Great Hall which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet. On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked as tense and expectant as anyone. Ludo Bagman was beaming and winking at various students. Mr. Crouch, however, looked quite uninterested, almost bored.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," Dumbledore said. We all straightened up, waiting expectantly to hear the names. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber," Dumbledore indicated the door behind the staff table, "where they will be receiving their first instructions."

Dumbledore took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it. All at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging us into a state of semidarkness. It set the mood for the event wonderfully. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, blue-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes. But it was lovely. Everyone watched, waiting to see who would gain eternal glory. A few people kept checking their watches, not that we knew a time for the names to be called.

"Any second," Lee Jordan whispered, two seats away from me.

It felt like years before anything happened. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, practically ready to start crawling onto the ground and toward the stage at the front of the Great Hall. The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red again. One of the names was about to be read. I wasn't the only one to suddenly hold their breath as sparks began to fly from it. The next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air and a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it. The whole room gasped at the first of the champions.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white. Everyone shifted forward in their places again. I didn't know much about the Durmstrang or Beauxbatons students but I knew I was thrilled to see who the Hogwarts champion would have to be fighting against. Who I would likely have to help coach Cedric on that he was tougher than, which might have been tough for the Durmstrang champion.

"The champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum," Dumbledore said in a strong, clear, voice.

"Shocking," I deadpanned loudly.

"No surprises there!" Ron yelled as a storm of applause and cheering swept the Hall.

We'd all known that Krum would be the champion for Durmstrang. No one had doubted that. He was famous and a wonderful Quidditch player and already comfortable in front of the cameras. I saw Viktor Krum rise from the Slytherin table and slouch up toward Dumbledore. I turned back to Hermione curiously and saw that she was watching Krum with eager eyes. My lips turned up in a grin as Krum turned right, walked along the staff table, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber. He barely looked excited.

"Bravo, Viktor!" Karkaroff boomed so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"

It took a long time before the clapping and chatting died down. Ron seemed to cheer even longer and louder than any of the Durmstrang students had. He had stomped down on my feet as I'd laughed at him. Once we had all gotten over the announcement of Krum being the Durmstrang champion, our attention was focused again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. We were ready for the Beauxbatons champion. The second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.

"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!" Dumbledore yelled.

"It's her, Ron!" Harry shouted as the girl who so resembled a Veela got gracefully to her feet, shook back her sheet of silvery blonde hair, and swept up between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.

I wasn't the only Hogwarts girl to scowl at the announcement. "Naturally it would be her," I growled.

"Oh look, they're all disappointed," Hermione said over the noise, nodding toward the remainder of the Beauxbatons party.

'Disappointed' was a bit of an understatement, I thought. While most of the Durmstrang students had looked upset at the news they wouldn't be the champion, none of them looked like they were going to lose their minds. The Beauxbatons students looked quite a bit different. Two of the girls who had not been selected had dissolved into tears and were sobbing with their heads on their arms. I raised a brow. Was it that much of a disappointment? Only one of them could be the champion. There was only a tiny chance it would have been any of them.

It was what I'd wanted to tell Cedric. I would have been thrilled if it were Cedric and I would have been genuinely surprised if it weren't him, but I knew we would both get over it if someone else had was chosen. When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it. It was going to be the Hogwarts champion next. This was when I would find out if I would have an even minor role to play in the Triwizard Tournament to help Cedric out.

The Goblet of Fire turned red once more. It seemed that most of the Hogwarts students were about to fall onto the floor from how excited they were. I risked a quick glance over to the Hufflepuff table. A number of their students were almost clinging to him. I didn't blame them. It must have been thrilling for their house to have even a slight shot of eternal glory. Sparks showered out of the goblet; the tongue of flame shot high into the air and from its tip, Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.

"The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!" Dumbledore called.

"Yes!" I shouted.

"No!" Ron yelled loudly, but nobody heard him except for us; the uproar from the next table was too great.

Cedric shook his fist excitedly as his friends slapped him on the back, pushing him forward. "Congratulations!" I shouted. Cedric got to his feet and walked up between the tables. He passed me briefly as I leaned up on my legs to press a kiss against his mouth as he walked past. The roars grew even louder. "Don't forget about me with your newfound fame."

Cedric turned back long enough to smile and wink at me. Every single Hufflepuff had jumped to his or her feet, screaming and stamping as Cedric made his way past them, grinning broadly, and headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table. He was grinning broader than I'd ever seen before. Dumbledore slapped Cedric jovially on the back as he passed, looking very pleased with the announcement of the Hogwarts champion. Indeed, the applause for Cedric went on so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real -"

But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking and it was apparent to all of us what had distracted him. The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air and borne upon it was another piece of parchment. My face wasn't the only one in the room to pale. So had Harry's. One look at his horrified face and I knew we shared the same terrible idea of what was about to happen. The same thing that always seemed to happen to us. Some kind of disaster that would ruin our year.

"Bet you five Galleons that has your name on it," I whispered to Harry, feeling the bile rise in my throat.

It might have been a joke but we both knew how afraid we were. My heart was pounding in my chest. "Bet you five Galleons it has your name written down," Harry replied, sounding just as afraid.

Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. Time seemed to slow as the parchment remained still in his hand. I wanted to scream at him and ask what it said - if it was just a plain piece of parchment - but I already knew it wasn't. Dumbledore held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out loud.

"Harry Potter."

My stomach lurched, probably nowhere near as bad as Harry's had. "Hah. Pay up," I whispered breathlessly.

Before I got the chance to process what was going on, Dumbledore turned over the parchment and his eyes widened. _Oh no... Please, no..._ And he read out, "Tara Nox."

It felt like my heart had stopped as I latched onto Harry's hand. "Call it a draw?" I whispered to Harry, my eyes blown wide in horror.

"Yeah," Harry replied breathlessly.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _Harry and Tara face their fellow champions and staff as they attempt to defend their innocence while Tara's relationship with Cedric hits a roadblock._ I know everyone won't be thrilled with my choice to make Tara a champion, but there's a few reasons I did so. Even if you didn't want Tara to be in the Tournament, I do hope you'll give the next few chapters a chance. Also, I know that originally there were only about twenty additional students, I upped it to about forty to match the film a little better. As always, thank you for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 _ **A QUICK NOTICE:**_ For anyone who would like to keep closer tabs on my stories, I now have a Twitter account set up so I can stay in touch with my readers and keep you all up to date on when you can expect new updates. Here's the link! /walkerlifeforme

 **Son of Whitebeard: It is! I always liked the idea of the foreign schools and wished we'd gotten a little more from them and the visiting students. We will in this version.**

 **Vincent FGS91: Yeah, I thought about that once. Literally every character I ever like gets killed. Poor Tara... She does! The books were so child-oriented most of the time that they never explored things like sex or relationships so I thought it would be fun to go into some minor detail - you know, like real teenage relationships. Awkward and wonderful! I am much much better, thank you for asking! I got my final clearance from my doctor. I'm back to full health! I hope you liked this one!**

 **Ghostie1701: Thank you so much! I've gotten a clean bull of health and I'm feeling much better. Getting to write while I was sick helped. I actually wrote part of my last update while I was in the hospital. It kept my mind off things. I'm so glad to hear you check for updates. If you'd like them more frequently I'd recommend going over to my Twitter account. I keep people a lot more updated on that. I love the Tara/Cedric moments and her relationship with Draco is so much fun to write. She's so clueless with Fred but we'll start seeing more on that front shortly. I'm so glad you liked the Imperius Curse scene. I loved having Moody be a lot more frightening to Tara than the others as she always seem to know things before the others. Remus will definitely have a bigger role in my story than he did in the original series or the films. The Red Wedding was horrible! At least the Purple Wedding made up for it lol. So glad you liked it!**

 **Guest: Sorry about the delay on the update but I hope you liked it!**

 **ShardAura: Wow, you've gotten through this quickly! That's a lot of words in just a few weeks and not very much sleep! I'm so happy to hear you enjoy my writing and are so invested in the story. Cedric's story will be an interesting one in the future and how it works with Tara's, no matter what happens to them. Please take a guess on the mystery sender! Fun fact, no one has guessed correctly yet. Tara being an Animagus... That would be interesting. I've got a clean bill of health now, thank you for asking! I hope you liked this one!**

 **Pellinore the Great: I'm so glad to hear how excited you are! I love Tara and Cedric's relationship, I have so much fun writing it. Ron's such a doofus so I'll have a great time writing him as he now thinks two of his best friends have betrayed him. Cedric's reaction might not be one people were expecting but it'll be fun to read. I hope, at least. And I do hope you enjoyed this one!**


	18. The Five Champions

When I was eight-years-old and still living back in Florida, I had been notable with all my neighbors for climbing the oak trees in our backyard. It had driven my parents nuts as they knew I didn't have the best coordination in the world. One time I had climbed up the highest oak tree at the edge of our property almost thirty feet into the air. Once I'd reached near the top of the tree I had swung my leg over a thin branch just about four branches from the top of the tree. I hadn't weighed more than sixty pounds and had been confident the branch could hold my weight.

Unfortunately, it was one of the few times I was wrong. The branch had given almost no warning before snapping clean off at the trunk. The branch had snapped, taking me with it. I didn't remember exactly what had happened but I remembered gasping rather than screaming as I hadn't been expecting it. It hadn't taken more than two seconds for me to go plummeting off the branch and straight into the hard ground below. I hadn't broken any bones but the wind had been knocked straight out of my lungs.

There was a bit of a lapse in my memory from the moment I'd hit the ground. All I could remember was laying there on the ground, staring up at the cloudless blue sky which had suddenly turned starry. My vision had faded in and out for a few minutes as my body turned to mush under me. I couldn't force my limbs to get moving. The worst part was trying to get in the breath it felt like I so desperately needed. It wouldn't fill my lungs so I had just laid there, immobilized, for almost ten minutes, trying harder than I ever had to suck the air back into my lungs.

That was how I felt right now. Stunned and unable to breathe. It wasn't a feeling I had ever wanted to have again. At least the last time I'd felt this way the feeling had gone away within five minutes. This time I knew it would linger far longer than five minutes. I was vaguely aware that Harry reached over and took my hand, threading our fingers together. I sat there on the wooden bench stiffly, well aware that every head in the Great Hall had turned to look at the two of us. He looked as stunned as I was. I felt numb. I was surely dreaming. There was no way I had heard correctly.

The more I thought about it, the sillier the situation became. No, there was absolutely no way that the Goblet of Fire had called not just one extra name, but two. Mine and Harry's. Naturally. How stupid of me to think that it had called us. It must have said something else. Or, perhaps it was a bad joke being played by Dumbledore as Harry and I seemed to always be at the center of attention. That would make sense. Yes, in just a moment Dumbledore would smile, yell 'surprise' and the Great Hall would erupt in laughter. But that moment never came.

It felt like hours passed where we sat and stared down at the tiled floor. I couldn't bring myself to look up and face the now hundreds of heads that were undoubtedly turned in my direction. Unlike with Fleur, Viktor, and Cedric, there was no applause now. A buzzing, as though of angry bees, was starting to fill the Hall; some students were standing up to get a better look at Harry and me as we sat, frozen, in our seats. My hand started tightening over his as I felt the redness creeping over my face and spread down my chest.

Up at the top table, Professor McGonagall had gotten to her feet and swept past Ludo Bagman and Professor Karkaroff to whisper urgently to Professor Dumbledore, who bent his ear toward her, frowning slightly. All I could hope was that she was telling Dumbledore that this was all ludicrous and to tell the students that it was just a poorly played prank that wouldn't be taken seriously. As they spoke I turned and looked Harry in the eyes. I could see in his what I knew was in mine; panic, dread, and a lot of confusion.

Both Harry and I turned to Ron and Hermione; beyond them, I saw the long Gryffindor table all watching us, open-mouthed. Why did it look like neither Hermione nor Ron completely believed us as both Harry and I began shaking our heads? I turned and looked down at the rest of the Gryffindor table. They were all staring at us. I looked to Fred and George, both of whom looked dumbfounded. I'd never seen the twins look so confused. No one looked like they believed me even though I was shaking my head. Why didn't they look like they believed me?

It was a long time since I'd been as nervous as I was right now. I slunk down in my chair as I looked around the rest of the room. The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students looked shocked as they followed the gazes of the Hogwarts students since they didn't know who Harry and I were. Cho Chang was shooting me a nasty scowl. Malfoy looked genuinely lost for words. I didn't know why, but I met his eyes and shook my head at him. The Hufflepuff students - namely Cedric's friends - were looking at me like I never had seen them before. Their gazes looked almost... hateful.

"I didn't put my name in," Harry whispered blankly to Ron and Hermione. "You know I didn't."

It was enough to finally kick me into gear. "You know neither one of us would ever do that. I didn't want this!" I hissed.

Both of them stared just as blankly back. Were they really not going to believe us? Harry and I exchanged a long look. I knew we were both thinking the same thing. How had this happened? We were silently communicating about the fact that we would have never entered ourselves into the tournament - and we certainly wouldn't have put each other's name on the slip if we had. If by some strange chance one of us had decided to try and get into the tournament we would have only named ourselves, not the other.

"What do we do?" I whispered desperately to Harry.

There had to be something we could do. Maybe turn and sprint out of the Great Hall as fast as I could and never turn back. Harry didn't seem able to force the words out of his mouth. He just shook his head at me again. I wished I could just fall through the floor. I didn't want to look into anyone's eyes right now. How could I possibly explain this one to my parents? They always seemed willing to believe the worst in me, so would they believe I had entered myself? At the top table, Professor Dumbledore had straightened up, nodding to Professor McGonagall.

"Harry Potter! Tara Nox!" Dumbledore called again. "Harry! Tara! Up here, if you please!"

"Uh, no. No, thank you," I mumbled, trying to dive under the table.

"Go on," Hermione whispered, giving both Harry and me a slight push. "Harry, Tara, for heaven's sake, just go."

"You go!" I snapped, shoving her back. "No! I didn't put my name in there!"

Harry had begun rising weakly to his feet but I remained planted in my chair. "Tara, go!" Hermione said, trying to pry me off the bench.

"I'm not going without you," Harry growled.

Harry reached down and took the edges of my robes in his hand and dragged me off the wooden bench with him. Ultimately, I had to jump up and follow him or else I would have ended up on the floor. I could feel my palm begin to sweat as Harry released my robes. I attempted to take a few steps back to stand a bit apart from Harry and maybe run off. Hermione ended up having to nudge my back to get me to start walking. It was extremely clumsy as I trod on the hem of my robes, stumbling slightly. Together we set off up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.

I looked up to Dumbledore's chair at the top of the room and kept my gaze fixed there. That was the only thing I could focus on without feeling like I was going to faint. It felt like an immensely long walk; the top table didn't seem to be getting any nearer at all and I could feel hundreds and hundreds of eyes upon me. It was as though each was a searchlight. The buzzing grew louder and louder as we walked. After what seemed like an hour, we were right in front of Dumbledore and I felt the stares of all the teachers upon me.

"Well... through the door, you two," Dumbledore told us. He wasn't smiling.

I'd never so much wanted to run for my life. I wanted to call my Firebolt to me so I could fly off. Not just to the Astronomy Tower. That wasn't far enough away. I wanted to fly all the way back to Florida so I never had to face any of these people again. Merlin, I was about to have to face Cedric. What would he think of this thing? He would trust me. He was my boyfriend, he had to. I jumped as Harry pressed a hand on my back and gently nudged me along. My legs felt like jelly as I tried to think of a way out of this. There would be one. There had to be.

Harry and I moved off along the teachers' table. Hagrid was seated right at the end. I could barely bring myself to look him in the eyes. He did not wink at either one of us, or wave, or give any of his usual signs of greeting. He looked completely astonished and stared at Harry and me as we passed as everyone else had. We went through the door out of the Great Hall and I found myself in a smaller room, lined with paintings of witches and wizards. A handsome fire was roaring in the fireplace opposite us.

My stomach churned as the door closed gently behind us. There was something unnerving about the sound of the thunk of the door as if it had closed on one chapter and we would never be allowed back to our old lives. The faces in the portraits turned to look at us as we entered, standing dumbly in the middle of the room. I saw a wizened witch flit out of the frame of her picture and into the one next to it, which contained a wizard with a walrus mustache. The wizened witch started whispering in his ear. I swallowed thickly.

Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, and Cedric Diggory - my idiot boyfriend that I didn't want to be around right now - were grouped around the fire. They looked strangely impressive, silhouetted against the flames. Krum, hunched up and brooding, was leaning against the mantelpiece, slightly apart from the other two. Cedric was standing with his hands behind his back, staring into the fire. I wished he would never turn around. I didn't know what I would say to him. Fleur Delacour looked around when Harry and I walked in and threw back her sheet of long, silvery hair.

"What is it?" Fleur asked us. "Do zey want us back in ze Hall?"

Had the situation been any different I would have laughed. She thought we had come to deliver a message. It had almost comical. I didn't know how to explain what had just happened. We just stood there, looking at the three champions. It struck me how very tall all of them were compared to us. Cedric finally turned back from the fireplace to stare at Harry and me. His gaze rested on my eyes. I looked at him for a long time, desperately wishing we were back in the Astronomy Tower this morning before all of this had happened. Cedric took a cautious step toward me.

He was only stopped by the look on my face. "Tara? Is everything okay?" Cedric asked nervously.

"What?" I said dumbly.

"Tara. What's going on?" Cedric asked.

It was one of the few times that I couldn't even begin to explain what had happened. All I knew was that my name had somehow come out of the Goblet of Fire and now... I wasn't sure. All I knew was that there was no way I would be coming out of this unscathed. Get yelled at for one. I opened my mouth a few times to try and explain what had happened but all that came out was stupid stammering. There was a sudden sound of scurrying feet behind us and Ludo Bagman entered the room. He took Harry and me both by the arms and led us forward.

"Extraordinary!" Bagman muttered, squeezing both of our arms. "Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen... lady," he added, approaching the fireside and addressing the other three. "May I introduce - incredible though it may seem - the fourth and fifth Triwizard champions?"

Harry and I looked just as surprised as the others did. "Umm... excuse me?" I asked quietly.

Viktor Krum straightened up. His surly face darkened as he surveyed us. Cedric looked nonplussed. He looked from Bagman to Harry to me and back again as though sure he must have misheard what Bagman had said. It took a while for his gaze to settle on me as I stared at him. I tried to shake my head and explain myself but I couldn't force any words out. Cedric looked like he wanted to walk toward me but he managed to stop himself from moving. After all, I was currently being held hostage along with Harry by Bagman.

Fleur Delacour, however, tossed her hair, smiling, and said, "Oh, vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman."

"Joke?" Bagman repeated, bewildered. "No, no, not at all! Harry and Tara's names just came out of the Goblet of Fire!"

Suddenly, I wished I hadn't eaten as much as I had at the feast. I had a feeling that it would soon be all over the floor. I was sick with anticipation as to what was about to happen. Bagman seemed perfectly thrilled with our names having come out of the Goblet of Fire. The professors had seemed both nervous and slightly suspicious. Krum's thick eyebrows had contracted slightly. Cedric was still looking politely bewildered. Fleur frowned. My gaze turned back to Cedric. I had always been good at reading him but right now his face was a mask.

"But -" I started.

"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake," Fleur said contemptuously to Bagman, cutting off my argument. "'Ey cannot compete. 'Ey are too young."

"Yeah, no shit," I barked without thinking.

Fleur shot me a nasty scowl as the others in the room turned to me in shock. "Language, Miss Nox," Bagman reprimanded.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Well, it is amazing," Bagman said, rubbing his smooth chin and smiling down at Harry and me. "But, as you know, the age restriction was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure. And as their name's have come out of the goblet... I mean, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage. It's down in the rules, you two are obliged. Harry and Tara will just have to do the best they -"

A long stream of profanities was prepared to come out of my mouth, so it was a good thing that the door behind us opened again and a large group of people came in. Professor Dumbledore followed closely by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. Not good. Definitely not good. We were about to be raked over the coals based on what had just happened. I heard the buzzing of the hundreds of students on the other side of the wall before Professor McGonagall closed the door.

It was a good thing. The angry chatter from the Great Hall was contributing to my growing sickness. "Madame Maxime!" Fleur gasped at once, striding over to her headmistress. "Zey are saying zat zees little kids are to compete also!"

Somewhere under my numb disbelief, I felt a ripple of anger. Little kids? I wasn't a little kid! I was barely younger than her. I'd always heard that the Beauxbatons girls were annoying and pretentious and now I knew that those rumors were correct. I shot a scowl at Fleur before turning to Harry. Judging by the redness that was flooding his cheeks, I assumed he was as annoyed by her assessment of us as I was. Cedric and Viktor were still staring at us with blank faces.

Ultimately, I couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer. "Little kids? I'm two years younger than you, _princess_. Get over yourself," I snarled.

Fleur looked shocked that I had stood up for myself. "Nox," Professor McGonagall chided. "Mind your manners."

Manners? Why was I the one who had to mind my manners when the French girl was the one being rude? Not to mention, I was the one who had been dragged in here against my will. I wanted to continue arguing but decided to fall silent. Madame Maxime - who looked even angrier about the situation than Fleur did - had drawn herself up to her full, and considerable, height. The top of her handsome head brushed the candle-filled chandelier, and her gigantic black-satin bosom swelled.

"What is ze meaning of zis, Dumbly-dorr?" she said imperiously.

How the hell was he supposed to know what had happened? "I'd rather like to know that myself, Dumbledore," Professor Karkaroff put in. He was wearing a steely smile and his blue eyes were like chips of ice. "Three Hogwarts champions? I don't remember anyone telling me the host school is allowed three champions - or have I not read the rules carefully enough?"

Karkaroff gave a short and nasty laugh. I swallowed thickly as I watched the people in the room. Both Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked furious with Harry, Dumbledore, and me. I had a feeling Madame Maxime would have liked to step on us. Karkaroff probably would have liked to send a nasty curse our way. Fleur looked absolutely beside herself while Viktor remained steely-faced. Cedric hadn't once looked away from me, but I was having a hard time meeting his eyes while I still didn't have an explanation for what was happening.

So, I turned to Harry and whispered, "Glad we didn't go to either one of their schools."

Harry nodded blankly. " _Three_ champions, Dumbledore? That's the entire tournament. We may as well not even be participating," Karkaroff told Dumbledore nastily.

"Well, we'll both gladly give up our spots and the tournament can be back down to three," I offered happily, popping up on my toes. "Right, Harry?"

Harry simply nodded, still apparently unable to speak. "They can't back out of the tournament now," Bagman said.

"I never wanted to get _into_ the tournament!" I shouted. Everyone in the room jumped at the sudden increase in volume as I whipped around to Harry. "Would you _help me_ instead of standing there like a dumb mute!"

It was useless. He was still silent. "C'est impossible," Madame Maxime said, whose enormous hand with its many superb opals was resting upon Fleur's shoulder. "Ogwarts cannot 'ave three champions. It is most unjust."

"Agreed. We'll be leaving now," I said, grabbing Harry's hand and turning to the door.

"Hold it, Nox!" Bagman yelled after us.

"We were under the impression that your Age Line would keep out younger contestants, Dumbledore," Karkaroff said, his steely smile still in place, though his eyes were colder than ever.

"It did, moron. Someone else - someone of age - submitted our names," I snapped.

"Nox!" Professor McGonagall yelled.

Karkaroff didn't look happy at _all_ with my comment. "Watch your tone, girl," he snarled.

"Take your own advice," I replied.

It didn't impress me that a fully grown man was making a scene out of a few careless insults from a fifteen-year-old girl. Karkaroff began advancing on me. "Why you insolent little -"

"Enough!" Professor McGonagall snapped, stopping the fight before it could begin. I'd barely noticed that both Harry and Cedric began stepping toward us to diffuse the fight before Professor McGonagall could. "Both of you!"

No one said anything in the brief silence that followed, though Karkaroff did send me a hateful glare. It was a long time before he finally looked away from me and toward Dumbledore. "We weren't expecting to have three champions from each school. Otherwise, we would, of course, have brought along a wider selection of candidates from our own schools," he said.

"It's no one's fault but Potter's and Nox's, Karkaroff," Snape said softly. His black eyes were alight with malice.

Was he kidding? Okay, maybe I was insane for thinking the Hogwarts staff might believe us. "What?" I said dumbly.

"Don't go blaming Dumbledore for Potter and Nox's determination to break rules," Snape continued, completely ignoring me. "They have been crossing lines ever since they arrived here -"

"Thank you, Severus," Dumbledore said firmly.

Both Harry and I let out a deep breath. At least it appeared that someone was going to stick up for us. Snape went quiet at Dumbledore's insistence, though his eyes still glinted malevolently through his curtain of greasy black hair. Professor Dumbledore was now looking down at Harry and me as we looked right back at him. I was trying to discern the expression of the eyes behind the half-moon spectacles. He didn't exactly look thrilled with us but he also didn't look like he was ready to condemn us as the others did.

"Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"No," Harry said.

"Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Tara?" Dumbledore asked me, just as calmly.

"No," I said.

Dumbledore gave us both a long look. It made me extremely nervous. I could tell he believed that we hadn't put our names into the Goblet of Fire but there was still something deep in his eyes. Not quite a suspicion but not quite a belief either. After a moment, I glanced over at Harry, who was still looking at me. We nodded at each other, silently affirming to each other that we wouldn't sell the other out. I was very aware of everybody watching us closely as we waited for someone to speak next. Snape made a soft noise of impatient disbelief in the shadows.

"Did either one of you put the other's name in?" Dumbledore asked.

"No," Harry and I said together.

"Did you ask an older student to put it into the Goblet of Fire for you?" Professor Dumbledore continued, ignoring Snape.

"No," we both said vehemently.

"Ah, but of course zey are lying!" Madame Maxime cried. Snape was now shaking his head, his lip curling.

"We are not!" I barked.

"Are ze two of you not togezzur?" Madam Maxime asked.

It took me a moment to realize that she was addressing me. She motioned between Cedric and myself, obviously insinuating that he had entered my name just because we were dating. "What about it?" I asked sharply.

Just because we were dating, it didn't mean that Cedric would put my name forward. I would have never asked him and he would never have done it even if I had. "Madam Maxine, you're not suggesting that Cedric Diggory put forward Tara's name just because they're seeing each other," Professor McGonagall said, thankfully jumping to my defense.

"It makes sense," Karkaroff argued.

"No, it doesn't!" I yelled before anyone else got the chance to speak. "I wanted _him_ to be the champion, why would I have asked him to submit my name?" I gave Cedric a brief glance but he still didn't speak. He looked too surprised to speak. "It wasn't just my name that was submitted, after all. Harry's name was on that slip, too! Why would Cedric have done that?"

"To make it less obvious who was at fault," Karkaroff replied.

Was he joking? He was such a moron. "Merlin, I really hope you're just the headmaster and not an actual teacher. Your students will be doomed if _you're_ the one teaching them," I said under my breath.

"Nox, one more comment like that and I'll give you detention for a month," Professor McGonagall said.

Like I wasn't in enough trouble... But, if someone was going to get in trouble, I supposed that it should have been me rather than Cedric. He hadn't done anything to deserve this. "Please, Professor, Cedric had nothing to do with this," I said, walking up to her. "You know he didn't."

"She is protecting him," Madam Maxine said.

"Don't drag him into this!" I yelled, turning back to her. "He had nothing to do with it."

It looked like another large fight was about to begin, so I was glad that Professor McGonagall stepped in again. "Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, we have known Cedric Diggory for years. I don't believe I'm alone in believing he had nothing to do with this unfortunate situation," she told them. It didn't look like they believed her, so she turned back to Cedric. "Mr. Diggory, did you have anything to do with Nox's and Potter's names ending up in the goblet?"

"No, ma'am," Cedric said, finally speaking.

"Diggory had nothing to do with this. It wasn't Potter or Nox either. They could not have crossed the Age Line," Professor McGonagall told the others sharply. "I am sure we are all agreed on that -"

"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line," Madame Maxime said, shrugging.

"The greatest wizard of all time make a mistake on something as simple as an Age Line? He's not _you_ ," I said quietly.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed Dumbledore's own eyes twinkling. Even Professor McGonagall said nothing about my rude comment that time. Her lips twitched upward. "It is possible, of course," Dumbledore said politely.

"Dumbledore, you know perfectly well you did not make a mistake!" Professor McGonagall said angrily. "Really, what nonsense! Neither Harry nor Tara could have crossed the line themselves, and as Professor Dumbledore believes that they did not persuade an older student to do it for them, I'm sure that should be good enough for everybody else!"

She shot a very angry look at Professor Snape. I could have laughed but I wasn't genuinely surprised that he wanted to make us sound like the guilty parties. I would have actually been more surprised if Snape had stuck up for us. I shot Harry a quick look, silently questioning whether or not he was going to say anything to try and defend us but he still seemed to be stuck in a state of shock. I didn't really blame him but I would have liked some help in trying not to make ourselves sound too guilty.

"You really think we did this?" I asked the others. No one replied. I turned back to Dumbledore and motioned for the slip he was still holding. "I'll prove we didn't. Let me see the writing on the slip!"

"Why should ve?" Madam Maxime asked me sharply.

"Because three people in this room are extremely familiar with mine and Harry's handwriting!" I snapped, motioning around to Professor's Snape, Dumbledore, and McGonagall. "They'll know that it's not our writing."

"Handwriting can be changed," Professor Karkaroff said.

No matter what we said, I knew Professor Karkaroff wouldn't believe us. "Tara, I've already observed the handwriting on the slip," Dumbledore said, waving me back. "I can confirm that it is not yours or Harry's."

"Mr. Crouch... Mr. Bagman," Karkaroff said, his voice unctuous once more, "you are our - er - objective judges. Surely you will agree that this is most irregular?"

That was the one thing we could agree on. There wasn't the slightest precedent for something like this. As far as I was aware, this had never happened before. Bagman wiped his round, boyish face with his handkerchief and looked at Mr. Crouch, who was standing outside the circle of the firelight, his face half-hidden in shadow. He looked slightly eerie, the half-darkness making him look much older, giving him an almost skull-like appearance. When he spoke, however, it was in his usual curt voice.

"We must follow the rules, and the rules state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament."

Meaning we would have to be champions in the Triwizard Tournament. "Excuse me?" I asked stiffly.

"Well, Barty knows the rule book back to front," Bagman told us, beaming and turning back to Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, as though the matter was now closed.

"I insist upon resubmitting the names of the rest of my students," Karkaroff said boldly. He had dropped his unctuous tone and his smile now. His face wore a very ugly look indeed. "You will set up the Goblet of Fire once more and we will continue adding names until each school has three champions. It's only fair, Dumbledore."

That was stupid. That was a waste of time and would add way too many champions to the tournament. "Or... you could let us out?" I offered, motioning between Harry and myself. "All's well that ends well."

"But Karkaroff, it doesn't work like that," Bagman told him. "The Goblet of Fire's just gone out - it won't reignite until the start of the next tournament -"

"- in which Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing!" Karkaroff exploded.

"No one will miss you," I muttered.

"Nox!" Professor McGonagall barked.

"After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises, I little expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!" Karkaroff continued, ignoring me again.

"Empty threat, Karkaroff," a dark voice growled from near the door. "You can't leave your champion now. He's got to compete. They've all got to compete. Binding magical contract, like Dumbledore said. Convenient, eh?"

Moody had just entered the room. I hadn't been this excited to see him since I'd met him a few weeks ago. He had always unnerved me but it now seemed that we had another ally in arguing our innocence. That was good enough for me. Although I would have enjoyed seeing Karkaroff leave Hogwarts. Moody limped toward the fire, and with every right step he took, there was a loud clunk. The room fell into an awkward silence as Karkaroff and Moody exchanged a nasty look. I wasn't sure what it was, but there was a big history between the two of them.

"Convenient?" Karkaroff repeated. "I'm afraid I don't understand you, Moody."

Now that was interesting. I could tell Karkaroff was trying to sound disdainful, as though what Moody was saying was barely worth his notice, but his hands gave him away; they had balled themselves into fists. I gave Harry a look out of the corner of my eyes and was glad to see that he was looking back at me. He gave a slight nod indicating that he was seeing the same thing I was. This wasn't just a normal dislike between two people with different personalities; they genuinely hated each other.

"Don't you?" Moody said quietly. "It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter and Nox's names in that goblet knowing they'd have to compete if it came out."

"Wait a minute!" I shouted, breaking the awkward air in the room. " _Have_ to compete?"

"The Goblet of Fire is a binding contract, Tara," Bagman said, giving me a look that wasn't completely earnest. "Whether or not you were necessarily the one who submitted your name, if a name is drawn, that person is bound to compete."

That was the stupidest thing I had heard in my entire life. Did no one think the selection process through? "So, someone of age could theoretically throw in an infant's name and they'd be forced to compete?" I suggested, hoping someone could see the flaw in the plan. Unfortunately, there was nothing more than an awkward silence as everyone avoided looking at me. Likely because they knew I was right. "What moron came up with that idea?"

"Evidently, someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at ze apple!" Madame Maxime said.

"We don't want this, genius!" I barked at her.

"Nox!" Professor McGonagall chided again.

I ignored her and turned to Harry, shooting him an angry scowl. "Stop standing there like you've lost your tongue and _help me_!" I snarled.

But Harry remained silent. "I quite agree, Madame Maxime," Karkaroff said, bowing to her. "I shall be lodging complaints with the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards -"

"If anyone's got a reason to complain, it's Potter and Nox, but... funny thing... as much as I hear Nox complaining, I don't hear Potter saying a word..." Moody growled.

"Why should 'e complain?" Fleur Delacour burst out, stamping her foot like a petulant child. "E 'as ze chance to compete, 'asn't 'e? We 'ave all been 'oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools!"

She was joking, wasn't she? I didn't need the honor for the school. I was happy to give that task to Cedric. "Get _over_ yourself. If Harry and I really wanted we could wipe the floor with you for this competition. I don't see you having battled a basilisk or come face-to-face with Voldemort when you were eleven," I told her.

"Tara," Professor McGonagall said quietly.

She wasn't the only person giving me a nervous look. I jumped at her voice, not having been used to hearing Professor McGonagall call me by my first name. I realized the mistake of my last comment a moment too late. I should have been looking apologetic right now, not argumentative. And I definitely shouldn't have been using Voldemort's name in front of so many people who were terrified of him. In fact, Harry and Dumbledore were the only two who looked unbothered by my careless use of his name.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth," I said, dropping my voice in an attempt to be respectful. "We didn't want to be in this competition."

"She is lying!" Fleur barked.

"Are you kidding? I was trying to be nice," I hissed.

"A thousand Galleons in prize money - zis is a chance many would die for!"

Please. My father had been a professional Quidditch player and now both of my parents worked for the Ministry. We had more money than we needed. "Maybe someone's hoping Potter and Nox are going to die for it," Moody said, with the merest trace of a growl.

An extremely tense silence followed those words. That wasn't a possibility I had been thinking about before as I was so caught up in the moment, but I certainly was now. It hadn't occurred to me why someone would want to do something like that to me or who might have even been the culprit. But something that could have seemed like a practical joke gone wrong now had a valid point. What if someone was trying to get the two of us killed? They wouldn't have been the first. But if they were, who was it?

Ludo Bagman, who was looking very anxious indeed, bounced nervously up and down on his feet and said, "Moody, old man... what a thing to say!"

It wasn't a pretty thing to say but it was a suggestion worthwhile to look at. "But he's not wrong. We all know people have tried to kill us before," I said quietly. "We know exactly who's done that."

Another tense silence settled over the room. "You mean to suggest You-Know-Who submitted your names to kill you?" Karkaroff asked me disbelievingly.

I shook my head. "No, I'm just saying we've been on people's hit lists before."

Voldemort was gone. But it didn't mean some of his followers weren't still after us. "We all know Professor Moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn't discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime," Karkaroff said loudly, treating the situation as if it were the silliest joke he'd ever heard. "Apparently he is now teaching his students to fear assassination too. An odd quality in a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore, but no doubt you had your reasons."

"Imagining things, am I?" Moody growled dangerously at Karkaroff. "Seeing things, eh? It was a skilled witch or wizard who put those kid's names in that goblet..."

"Ah, what evidence is zere of zat?" Madame Maxime asked, throwing up her huge hands.

Suddenly, my anger got the best of me. "Because we've already said we didn't do it, you fucking moron!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"Nox!" Professor McGonagall yelled.

"Because they hoodwinked a very powerful magical object!" Moody yelled, thankfully taking the heat off of me as I knew I was about to hear it for my language. "It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament. I'm guessing they submitted Potter's name under a fourth school, to make sure he was the only one in his category."

"As for Nox?" Professor McGonagall asked him.

Moody turned to me. "She was once enrolled in Ilvermorny, the American school, wasn't she?"

There was another tense silence that I was quickly growing used to. He was right. Whoever had put our names into the Goblet of Fire could have easily submitted my name under the school I had once attended. It made more and more sense the longer I thought about it. I was one of the only people in Hogwarts who had ever openly been enrolled in another school. The Goblet of Fire could have easily mistaken me for being an actual Ilvermorny student and picked me as the only choice for that school, regardless of my age.

"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought, Moody, and a very ingenious theory it is - though of course, I heard you recently got it into your head that one of your birthday presents contained a cunningly disguised basilisk egg, and smashed it to pieces before realizing it was a carriage clock," Karkaroff said coldly. "So you'll understand if we don't take you entirely seriously."

"There are those who'll turn innocent occasions to their advantage," Moody retorted in a menacing voice. "It's my job to think the way Dark wizards do, Karkaroff - as you ought to remember."

"Alastor!" Dumbledore said, a warning tone deep in his voice.

Everyone in the room jumped as Dumbledore had remained mostly silent through the discussion. Apparently, he was trying to stop Moody from saying anything more about Karkaroff, which I was desperately curious to know. I was one of the only people who didn't appear confused by Dumbledore's use of Moody's real name. The rest of them had been so used to hearing him called either 'Mad-Eye' of Moody. Moody fell silent, though still surveying Karkaroff with satisfaction as Karkaroff's face was burning.

"How this situation arose, we do not know," Dumbledore said quietly, speaking to everyone gathered in the room. "It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Cedric, Harry, and Tara have been chosen to compete in the Tournament. This, therefore, they will do."

"Do we get a say in this?" I asked Dumbledore nervously.

"Does it sound like we get a say in this?" Harry asked me.

This was not the time I wanted to hear him speak. " _Now_ you choose to speak?" I asked him nastily.

Harry jumped and looked to the floor sheepishly. "Ah, but Dumbly-dorr -"

"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it."

Dumbledore waited but Madame Maxime did not speak, she merely glared. Naturally, she wasn't happy. I had a feeling that she hated me more than anyone else in the room. The feeling was mutual. But she wasn't the only one who looked frustrated with what had happened. No one looked happy. Snape looked furious and Karkaroff looked livid. Fleur was miming Madame Maxime's look and Viktor still looked stunned. I couldn't bring myself to look at Cedric. It seemed that I was wrong. There was one person who was happy. Bagman looked rather excited.

"Well, shall we crack on, then?" Bagman said, rubbing his hands together and smiling around the room. "Oh, Tara! Your father will be thrilled to hear his daughter is in the Triwizard Tournament."

"Oh, Merlin," I gasped. _Shit_. I hadn't even thought of the way my parents would respond to me being in the Triwizard Tournament. "My dad's going to kill me. Will he be here?"

"For the tasks, of course!" Bagman said happily. "He helped organize the event."

Not good at all. Dad had finally gotten over being angry with me and now we were about to go right back to square one. I leaned over to Harry and lowered my voice. "He really is one sandwich short of a picnic. Dad's going to lose it when he hears about this," I told him.

"Maybe he won't until the task," Harry suggested.

"He'll hear all about who's been chosen! It'll be the talk at the Ministry in the morning," Bagman said obliviously.

There went that idea. "Great," I muttered.

"Got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we?" Bagman said happily. "Barty, want to do the honors?"

Oh, I was going to be sick. Mr. Crouch seemed to come out of a deep reverie. "Yes, instructions. Yes... the first task," Mr. Crouch said slowly.

Something was wrong with him. Not just by the way he was speaking but also by the way he looked. I hadn't noticed it, but as he moved forward into the firelight I saw it. Close up, I thought he looked ill. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes and a thin, papery look about his wrinkled skin that had not been there at the Quidditch World Cup. What the hell was wrong with him? Mr. Crouch had always seemed like the nervous and anal type, but I hadn't pegged him as the type that scared easily.

There was a brief silence where I desperately tried to ignore Fleur, who clearly hated me, Viktor, who had said nothing since I had walked into the room, and Harry, who had been beyond useless today. My gaze instead landed on Cedric, who still hadn't once looked away from me. Our eyes conveyed what our bodies couldn't. That I wanted to break down into tears and rest in his arms. That he wanted to stand at my side as I tried to comprehend what had just happened. But there was a flicker of something else. Mistrust, maybe?

I wasn't allowed to think for long before my attention was called away. "The first task is designed to test your daring so we are not going to be telling you what it is," Mr. Crouch told Harry, Cedric, Fleur, Viktor, and myself. "Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard. Very important. The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and the panel of judges.

"The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests."

"Well... one good thing came out of this, I suppose," I muttered.

Most of this was a huge mess. I was going to be blamed for somehow getting my name into the Goblet of Fire and no one was going to believe that I hadn't done it. My parents were going to be absolutely furious with me for getting myself a spot in the Triwizard Tournament. Cedric and I were going to have to talk this out once we were free. Going back to Gryffindor Tower would surely be a mob scene. This year that was supposed to be a chance for me to lay low was quickly turning into a wreck. Mr. Crouch turned to look at Dumbledore.

"I think that's all, is it, Albus?" he asked.

"I think so," Dumbledore said, who was looking at Mr. Crouch with mild concern.

But it appeared that the French ones weren't done with the situation yet. "You 'ave a couple competing in ze tournament? Won't zey be helping each other?" Fleur asked, motioning between Cedric and myself.

"Who?" Bagman asked curiously.

"Diggory and ze little girl," Fleur told him.

"How many years do you think you get in Azkaban for murdering an uptight pretentious French bitch?" I whispered to Harry.

"Nox!" Professor McGonagall yelled. "One more time -"

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Are the two of you together?" Bagman asked, motioning between us.

This was going somewhere bad very quickly. Cedric and I exchanged an awkward look with each other. Why had this suddenly become so nerve-wracking? Was this the time to lie or tell the truth. The truth, I supposed, since there were too many people here who could call out a lie. "Yeah," we said together.

"Oh, my..." Bagman muttered, his tanned skin paling slightly.

Now I was positive I was going to be sick. Something was seriously wrong. "Mr. Bagman? Is there a problem with that?" Cedric asked carefully.

Bagman shifted nervously. "Well, actually, there is a problem with that," he said. Cedric and I exchanged a tense look as Bagman continued. "It's not a rule we've ever had to put into use as it usually doesn't matter. The competitors in the Triwizard Tournament typically come from three schools in varying locations. They're people who have never met before and don't get much of a chance to communicate with each other before their names are drawn. They are practically strangers."

Okay, I wanted him to just get out whatever the problem was. I didn't need to hear him dance around the subject. "Mr. Bagman, I hate to be rude but can you please get to the point?" I said as politely as possible.

Bagman stammered slightly as he nodded. "Certainly. There is a bit of an unspoken rule that there can be no romantic entanglements between the champions," he said bluntly.

Maybe I hadn't needed it to be that blunt. Maybe he could have danced around the truth a little while longer as the truth certainly wasn't one I wanted to hear. The truth settled around the room heavily as we were all suddenly made aware of a rule no one had heard before. I was positive no one in the room knew of the rule. Now it was only being implemented because the stupid French girl couldn't keep her goddamn mouth shut. This probably wasn't what she was hoping for though, considering even she looked surprised at the change of pace.

Bagman was still shifting nervously as he tried to figure out how to explain this as my jaw was practically on the floor. "You see, normally with the champions not knowing one another before the tournament it's never been an issue before. The rule is put in place to ensure there is no cheating. No getting closer to the other champions to try and get some additional information. With only three champions from all different schools, each solely focused on the competition, the rule has never needed to be enforced. You see why we have it?" Bagman asked awkwardly.

But neither Cedric nor I were able to force any words out. Neither was anyone else. "Ludo, you can't be suggesting the kids stop seeing each other?" Professor McGonagall asked.

At least someone was trying to stick up for us. "I am, Minerva," Bagman told her.

Oh, no. Not good. This wasn't good at all. The air was extremely tense as everyone looked back and forth between each other, trying to figure out who was supposed to speak next. I stared down at the floor for a long time. Not only had I now somehow managed to land myself in the Triwizard Tournament, but I was also no longer allowed to be with my boyfriend. What the hell was happening to my life? Why did this always seem to happen to me? I gave Cedric a quick glance. He was already looking at me. We said nothing as we locked eyes.

"Ludo, I think that's taking things a step too far," Professor McGonagall said gently.

Maybe she was my new favorite professor. "It's the rules, unfortunately, Minerva," Mr. Crouch said. "There will be enough accusations of cheating in Hogwarts' favor this year. It will only be worse if two tributes appear to be working in tandem."

"Plus, having Mr. Diggory and Miss Nox together will only make it appear as though he assisted her in entering her name," Bagman added.

My mouth dropped open. Why the hell was someone else allowed to be in charge of my relationship? "Oh, it's only a year. The kids are young," Mr. Crouch said, waving off the concern seeping off Cedric and myself. I scowled at him. Just because we were young didn't mean we should break off our relationship without a care in the world. "What's the problem? They'll have the tournament to focus on anyway."

"That isn't the point!" Professor McGonagall yelled.

"I don't see Tara or Cedric saying anything in their defense," Bagman pointed out uselessly.

"Because you've shocked them!" Professor McGonagall snapped, turning to face Dumbledore. "Albus, please."

Someone had to put a stop to this madness. It was just plain stupid. Dumbledore looked between Cedric and me as his sad eyes twinkled slightly. My stomach churned as my messy thoughts raced. I would have normally been thinking of how to work my way around the rule but I was so baffled by what had happened that I couldn't even pretend to know where to go from here. I was completely lost. I was vaguely aware of people talking about arguing in the background which I couldn't stand. This didn't need to be discussed with ten people in the room.

"Uh, if it's alright with everyone else, this isn't a conversation meant for ten people," I said weakly, cutting off all the chatter in the room. "It's a conversation meant for two. You haven't asked either one of us about it. It's none of your business."

"It is our business, Tara," Bagman argued. "We need to be sure there is no cheating between players -"

"There's obviously cheating already going on!" I shouted, earning a nasty look from him. I lowered my voice, afraid to make things even worse. "I get your point."

This time it was Cedric who stepped forward. "Mr. Bagman, we'll take it from here. We understand your point. I believe we agree the rest of this conversation should be had between us. Not with an audience," he said gently.

It was like listening to a little politician. He was much better at talking to an audience than I was. He knew how to be polite. "Cedric and Tara are correct," Dumbledore said. I relaxed slightly but still felt sick to my stomach. "You've made your feelings and the rules known, Barty. The rest is between them."

Bagman started stepping forward. "Oh, but -"

"You trust zat zeez two will end their relationship?" Madame Maxime interrupted.

"Of course, I do," Dumbledore said, sending her a gentle smile. Judging by the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes, he didn't think there was even a slight chance of us ending our relationship. "On that note, I believe it is time we all retire."

"Tara -" Harry started, reaching for my arm.

"Not now," I told him, feeling my dinner rise in my throat. "Please."

"Okay. I'm sorry," Harry said, backing away immediately.

"Yeah, me too," I mumbled.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, Dumbledore, I must get back to the Ministry," Mr. Crouch said. "It is a very busy, very difficult time at the moment. I've left young Weatherby in charge. Very enthusiastic... a little overenthusiastic, if truth be told."

"Weasley, asshole," I growled.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Crouch asked, turning to me.

"You'll come and have a drink before you go, at least?" Dumbledore said, probably trying to save me any more trouble.

"Come on, Barry, I'm staying!" Bagman said brightly, disrupting the somber air. "It's all happening at Hogwarts now, you know, much more exciting here than at the office!"

"I think not, Ludo," Mr. Crouch said with a touch of his old impatience.

"Professor Karkaroff - Madame Maxime - a nightcap?" Dumbledore offered.

But Madame Maxime had already put her arm around Fleur's shoulders and was leading her swiftly out of the room. I was perfectly happy to see them go. If Fleur would have kept her damn mouth shut I would still be happy with my boyfriend, not about to have an extremely awkward and forced conversation with him. I could hear them both talking very fast in French as they went off into the Great Hall. Probably being quite rude toward the two of us. Karkaroff beckoned to Krum, and they, too, exited, though in silence.

"Harry, Cedric, and Tara; I suggest you go up to bed," Dumbledore said, smiling at all three of us. "I am sure Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are waiting to celebrate with you, and it would be a shame to deprive them of this excellent excuse to make a great deal of mess and noise."

"Thank you, Professor," I muttered.

Harry glanced at Cedric, who nodded, and then back to me. Without actually looking him in the eyes, I nodded too. The three of us all looked at each other and then left together. None of us spoke as we walked out of the room. I could feel my legs shaking underneath me but there was a numbness wracking through my body. I was in between Harry and Cedric, feeling immensely awkward. Harry looked as awkward as I felt. What were we supposed to do? Were we supposed to break up now? I thought about reaching out for him but ultimately decided against it.

As we were all walking so slowly, it took far longer than it should have to get out into the Great Hall. I wished the walk would never end because I didn't know how the conversation that was sure to follow was supposed to go. The Great Hall was deserted now; the candles had burned low, giving the jagged smiles of the pumpkins an eerie, flickering quality. I was a little surprised when Cedric and Harry stopped in the entrance hall. I remained a few steps back, giving the two boys a chance to speak to each other first.

"So," Cedric said with a slight smile. "We're playing against each other again!"

"I suppose," Harry said.

The conversation was even more awkward than I had anticipated it would be. I knew it would have been a good moment for me to step forward and say something but I had nothing to say right now. Nothing that I wanted to say with Harry in the room, anyway. The conversation we needed to have was private. I could tell by the look on Harry's face that he really couldn't think of anything to say. If he felt anything like I did, the inside of his head must have been in complete disarray, as though his brain had been ransacked. That was certainly what it felt like in mine.

"So... tell me..." Cedric said as we shifted further into the entrance hall, which was now lit only by torches in the absence of the Goblet of Fire. "How did you get your name in?"

My head snapped up from counting the cracks in the stone floor. I had been expecting Cedric to be the one person perhaps in the entire school - save Harry, Ron, and Hermione - to believe that I had nothing to do with putting my name in the Goblet of Fire. Apparently, my thoughts weren't correct. If Cedric thought that Harry had put his name in the Goblet of Fire, it also meant that he believed I had put my name in the Goblet of Fire. This day seemed to be getting better and better by the second.

"I didn't," Harry said, staring up at him. "I didn't put it in. I was telling the truth."

"Ah. Okay," Cedric said. I could tell Cedric didn't believe him. "Well... see you, then."

Harry looked at Cedric but didn't walk off. The comment from Cedric to Harry was dismissing Harry from the entrance hall so that Cedric and I could talk. "I'll... I'll wait for you at the staircase," Harry told me awkwardly.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

The last thing I wanted was to be left alone with Cedric right now, especially now that I knew he didn't believe we were innocent victims in this mess. Harry gave me a quick squeeze on the arm as he walked off, silently telling me to keep calm and a rational head about myself. I nodded at him as he turned the corner, leaving Cedric and me to talk to each other. For a moment, the two of us stood there and said nothing. We just stared at each other. The air was more awkward around us than it had been in a long time.

Eventually, Cedric was the one to make the first move as he reached out for me and placed his hand on my arm. "Hey, we'll figure it out," he said, smiling vaguely at me.

I had to try to not jump to conclusions first. So, I laughed awkwardly and said, "Maybe my dad really will get that one year of us being apart that he wanted so badly."

"I'm not so sure about that. If there's one thing I know about Tara Nox, it's that she knows how to bend the rules," Cedric said teasingly.

My heart sank down into my stomach. There was a vague smile on Cedric's face but it was easy to see that it didn't quite meet his eyes. I knew what it meant without a doubt. It was the one thing I had been so concerned with originally. He wouldn't come directly out and say it, but I knew that he didn't completely believe that I didn't put my name in the Goblet of Fire. I pulled out of his grasp and folded my arms over my chest, taking a step back from him. Cedric's face contorted in confusion as he watched my face turn to a scowl.

"That sounds kind of accusatory," I commented tonelessly.

The color drained from his face as he began shaking his head. "No, I - I didn't mean it like that."

Judging by the look on Cedric's face, he did. "You actually think that I put my name in there?" I asked sharply.

Cedric shook his head again. "No, I don't."

He was too nice of a guy to come out and say it, but I knew he didn't believe me. "Be honest with me. You even just asked Harry about it," I said, motioning beyond the entrance hall where Harry was waiting. "You do think that I did it."

Cedric sighed and reached up to run a hand over his face. "Tara, it's just hard to understand what else could have happened."

"Yeah, I know how you feel," I growled. "I _didn't_ do it."

"I believe you."

There was a hint of hesitation in his voice that betrayed what he was really thinking. "Do you?" I asked.

A brief silence passed as Cedric let out a deep breath. "I want to believe you."

I smiled bitterly. "That's more like it."

I'd gotten the answer I wanted and it wasn't the one I liked. This day had been long and draining enough and I was sick of it. I turned to walk off when Cedric reached out and grabbed my arm. "Wait for a second, don't leave."

"What?" I snapped, turning back to him.

Cedric didn't look at all surprised by my snap. He probably knew how upset I was with his answer. "Let's talk about it. Maybe something happened. Maybe an older student did it as a joke? They heard you talking about how you would have liked to be in the tournament and entered you, thinking nothing would happen," he offered.

"Which is still blaming me for this," I said quietly.

"I'm not," Cedric argued.

He was. Whether or not he wanted to admit it, Cedric was blaming me for what had happened. I gave him a good once-over and realized that his eyes weren't as happy as they were earlier. He looked a little annoyed, actually. "You're mad that my name came out of the goblet," I said. Cedric started to shake his head when I spoke over him. "Now's really not the time for lies so if you have something to say, I'd recommend doing so now."

As much as I wanted to be kind to him right now, I was furious. My own boyfriend didn't even believe me. "Tara, I just want to know what happened," Cedric said gently.

"Shocking," I growled, tightening my arms over my chest almost as if to protect myself. "I do too. You've known me for years but yet you think I would do this?"

"I'm not accusing you," Cedric said.

"But you're angry," I added.

Cedric again shifted awkwardly. I had put him on the spot but I didn't care. "Not angry, per se. But a little annoyed, yes," Cedric said. Being annoyed was his own equivalent of being furious with me. "Tara, I've been looking forward to bringing some glory to Hufflepuff for weeks now. My dad has been looking forward to this for months now. Now your name has come out of the goblet and whether or not you want it, everyone is going to want to know how it happened. It'll be like my name was never pulled."

My stomach churned at the look on his face. I hadn't meant for him to end up having his thunder taken. "Cedric, I didn't want this," I said, trying to calm down and not let his slight suspicion hurt my feelings. "I wanted you to get the glory you know I feel like you deserve." Unfortunately, my bitter attitude returned full-force immediately. "I don't know why I thought I would get some sympathy from you."

Cedric didn't appreciate my last comment. "Didn't you say you would have entered if the age restriction hadn't been imposed?"

"But it was and I didn't break that rule," I replied.

We both let out a deep breath. I could feel the tightening at the back of my throat, indicating that tears were about to fall. I didn't want to get emotional over something I had no control of, so I sniffled slightly and forced myself to calm down. But it was difficult. I was finally realizing after so many years of being friends and in a relationship with Cedric that he didn't always see the best in me as I had originally thought. I wasn't sure why I was surprised. I was always doing stupid things like this. It was no wonder that he was suspicious of me.

"I'm mad at the situation, Tara, not you," Cedric said gently.

The situation. Yes, of course. We were both furious about the situation. It wasn't just the whole idea of me entering myself or someone having entered me into the Triwizard Tournament. There was a much bigger problem here that we were going to have to deal with. Now the two of us were being forced into breaking up. I thought about it for a moment. It seemed to physically pain me to think about breaking up with him. I wondered for a brief moment if he felt the same way. Judging by the look on his face, he did.

This wasn't something that had happened overnight. It wasn't like the two of us had just started dating a few weeks ago. We had been together for about a year now. We had danced around our feelings for so long and been too afraid to admit to each other that we did have feelings that were more than friendly. We had kept it a secret at first and had dealt with so many rumors. My parents had found out and forced us apart. It had taken us so long to get to a good place and now the relationship was about to come undone at the seams.

"I've never heard that rule before," I said, swallowing thickly.

Cedric shook his head. "Neither have I. What they said makes sense," Cedric said. I shook my head at him. It was ridiculous. "As the champions normally wouldn't know one another before the competition begins it makes no sense for the rule to ever be utilized."

"Are you upset about it?" I asked carefully.

Cedric laughed humorlessly. "Believe it or not, I am a little upset to have to give up my girlfriend."

I huffed. "Give up," I repeated.

Cedric shook his head, realizing too late that what he said hadn't sat well with me. "Wait a second, that didn't come out right."

"Tell me what you meant," I snapped.

"Publicly, I suppose," Cedric said, running his hands through his hair.

We stared at each other in the eye for a long time. Neither one of us made any move to touch or comfort the other. I wondered in the back of my mind what would happen if we just refused to break up with each other. I wasn't sure if there would be anything to do other than disqualify us both, which I knew would devastate Cedric. It would be a terrible idea, but I wanted to know what he was thinking. I was already upset that he didn't believe my innocence, but I did want to know if he had any idea of what we were supposed to do next.

"What do we do?" I asked quietly.

"Nothing," Cedric said, shaking his head. "We lay low."

But that was exactly what they would be expecting us to do. "You think they wouldn't see through it?" I asked him. Cedric gave me a stunned and annoyed look that somehow bothered me. " _What_?"

"You're going to give up that easily?" Cedric asked. His lips turned up in a small smile. "That's not the Tara I know."

"In case you hadn't noticed, I've fought a couple of battles today and lost them all. I'm sick of it," I said, feeling the energy drain straight out of my body.

"What battles have you lost today?" Cedric asked. I didn't respond. "You don't want to be in the Triwizard Tournament but you're not allowed out of it. That's the only battle I think you've lost today."

"Really? I'm seeing a second one."

"Me?" Cedric asked. I replied with a silent scowl. "Explain, please."

"What is there to explain?" I asked, throwing my hands up in frustration. I didn't know how I could explain the mess of emotions that were running through my head. "I didn't put my name in the Goblet of Fire and no matter what you say, I know you think I did. Or you think I had something to do with it. Everyone will."

"I'm sorry, I just can't come up with another reason."

"Funny. Neither can I." We stared at each other for a while as I ran my hand over my face. I was exhausted and annoyed and speaking with him right now would just make things worse. "You know what? Forget this. I'm going to bed."

Cedric jumped after me. "Tara, wait a second."

"No, thank you," I said, pushing past him.

"This is it?" Cedric called after me. "You're just going to give up?"

Was he joking? I whipped back around to Cedric angrily but it didn't seem to surprise him. "I'm not giving up! The last thing I want is to give up on... on this," I said, motioning back and forth between us. "But what else am I supposed to do? We're not allowed to be together. Might as well get used to it. And, you know, do I really want to be with someone who doesn't believe me?"

"I _do_ believe you," Cedric said.

 _Liar_. "Okay, someone who's mad at me."

"I'm not mad."

Why was he always like this? Why wouldn't he just fight with me? We needed to get it out. "Oh, for once in your life just admit it! You don't always have to act like the knight in shining armor!" I shouted. Cedric made no indication that my words were bothering him. "You're mad at me. Go ahead and say it."

Cedric shook his head. "Why? What will that do for either one of us?" I didn't respond. "Nothing, it will just hurt us both."

It was something about Cedric that I had always found so amazing. Even in the toughest of situations, he was always perfectly reasonable with his thoughts and actions. Tonight, I was the one who wasn't being reasonable. This wasn't his fault and I shouldn't have been taking my frustrations on him. But I was so angry with what had happened and I couldn't stand the fact that Cedric wasn't willing to fight with me. I couldn't help it. I would get riled up and I always wanted to scream. Right now, Cedric was the only person I could yell at.

"It doesn't matter!" I yelled. "I just - I'm so sick of you always being..."

"Being what?"

"God, I don't know. You just - You piss me off!"

"Because I refuse to get mad at you?"

"Yes!" I yelled unreasonably.

"That's ridiculous, Tara."

"I know! I don't need you to say it!"

"Calm down, you'll wake the whole castle if you keep yelling like that," Cedric said.

"Do you think I fucking care?"

"Tara -"

"Don't. Just please don't say anything. Just let me think," I told him sharply. Cedric fell silent without hesitation. We stood in silence for a few moments as I looked down at the ground. There was only one thing I needed to know. I only had one question. "I want an honest answer." Cedric nodded for me to continue. "Are you angry with me?"

"I'm upset over the situation," Cedric said.

"You're still dancing around the question. Are you angry with me?" I repeated.

Cedric was silent for what felt like ages. "Yes," he said, the guilt plain and clear in his voice. A shot of pain went through my chest. I had always known that he was angry, but I still hated to hear it from him. "But I don't want to be angry with you and I won't be forever. I'm just angry at the moment. This was supposed to be my day and it got sidetracked. I'll get over it."

I swallowed my hurt. "See? Was that so hard?"

"Was it worth hearing?" Cedric asked.

The look on Cedric's face only served to make me even angrier. I hated that little tilt of his head that made it look like he was making fun of me like he knew his answer would upset me. Of course, he was right from the very beginning. I hated knowing that he was upset with me for something I hadn't done. I couldn't even tell whether or not he genuinely believed me. I was reasonably sure he believed me, but that didn't make things any easier. I hadn't wanted to know the answer but I had kept forcing it. I couldn't help it but it was my fault.

Why hadn't I just stopped while things were bad but not terrible? I was frustrated with the situation and could feel the tears building in my eyes. I jumped slightly as I felt Cedric's hand rest on the back of my neck. My body felt as numb and useless as it did when I first heard Dumbledore call my name. He tugged me up against his chest where I was useless to do anything but stumble into him. My head was still aimed at the ground but I let him pull our faces close together so that I could just barely feel his lips brush against mine as he spoke.

"Come to the Astronomy Tower with me tonight," Cedric muttered, running his thumb down my spine.

"I think your friends want to celebrate," I replied, feeling our lips brush.

Cedric shook his head against mine. "I don't care. We can celebrate later. I'm not much in the mood to celebrate anyway."

"You heard what they wanted."

"I don't care. _You're_ what _I_ want."

Maybe he was telling me the truth. Maybe this wasn't the biggest deal in the world to him. Maybe he really would just be angry for a few days and get over it. Maybe I was being too dramatic about the entire thing. I felt Cedric's grip tighten against the back of my neck again as he stepped completely up against me, closing the gap. I felt the slightest bit of happiness at his offer and maybe a tinge of excitement. Maybe one night in the Astronomy Tower wouldn't kill us. I was about to fall into the kiss when a voice echoed behind us.

"Nox! Diggory!" Mr. Filch's voice called. Cedric and I shot apart and turned to look at him. "I believe you two are supposed to be in bed."

Our gazes soon turned back to each other. I stared at Cedric for a while, quickly realizing that this conversation was destined to go nowhere anyway. We would have been saying the same things over and over again. "Right you are," I told Filch, turning back to look at Cedric. "Goodnight, Cedric."

"Tara -"

"If you don't believe me, there's nothing left to say," I told him sharply, cutting off whatever he was about to say. "They got what they wanted. Goodnight."

Without giving myself a moment to think about what I was doing, I stomped off, refusing to look back. I could feel his eyes on the back of my head but I refused to turn back. I didn't want him to see that I was on the verge of tears. His footsteps followed behind me as I darted up the marble staircase. Instead of going up the marble staircase, Cedric headed for a door to its right. I met up with Harry at the top of the staircase and nodded for him to follow me, not speaking. I stood listening to Cedric going down the stone steps beyond the door, then, slowly, I started to climb the marble ones.

"I..." Harry trailed off, obviously unsure of what to say.

"I'm not talking about it. Not to you and not to any of the rest of them," I said sharply.

"Okay," Harry said, trying to be respectful and look away while I was brushing tears out of my eyes. "But I'm here to listen if you want to talk."

"Thank you," I whispered.

Was anyone except Ron and Hermione going to believe us, or would they all think we'd put ourselves in for the tournament? Yet how could anyone think that when we were facing competitors who'd had three years' more magical education than we had and when we were now facing tasks that not only sounded very dangerous but which were to be performed in front of hundreds of people? Yes, I had thought about it and I had fantasized about it, but it had been a joke, really, an idle sort of dream. As I had told Cedric, I would have never really, seriously considered entering.

I'd wanted Cedric to have the spotlight he deserved. I didn't want to accidentally take it from him. He deserved to have the school talking about him in something I wasn't involved with. But someone had put me exactly where I didn't want to be. I might not have genuinely considered entering the tournament, but someone else had considered it. Someone else had wanted both of us in the tournament and had made sure we were entered. Why? To give us a treat? I didn't think so. Whoever did this knew that we would be in trouble and danger.

There had to have been a lot of thought go into this. What was someone thinking when they had slipped Harry's and my names into the Goblet of Fire. To see us make fools out of ourselves? Well, they were likely to get their wish. Neither one of us was useless with magic but we certainly weren't as seasoned as Cedric, Viktor, and Fleur were. It couldn't just be to embarrass us. They could have done that easily. We were always embarrassing ourselves. But to get us both killed? That was a frightening thought.

It wouldn't have been the first time someone had tried to kill us. It was the same thing I had reflected earlier when we had all been in the back room of the Great Hall earlier. We had been at the center of death plots before. Was this one of them? Was Moody just being his usual paranoid self? That was what I would have liked to believe, but it seemed so unlikely. This wasn't just a practical joke. Whoever had done this must have known there would be a lot of danger. Still, couldn't someone have put our names in the goblet as a trick or practical joke? Did anyone really want us dead?

Of course. We both would have been able to answer that at once. Yes, someone wanted Harry dead and me... well, I wasn't sure what they wanted with me. But they certainly wanted me with them. Someone had wanted Harry dead ever since he had been a year old. Lord Voldemort. He wanted us both. But how could Voldemort have ensured that our names had wound up in the Goblet of Fire? Voldemort was supposed to be far away, in some distant country, in hiding, and alone. He should have been feeble and powerless.

The last time we had genuinely seen Voldemort it had been in the back of Professor Quirrell's head and he had turned to ash the moment Harry had touched him. He had to still be like that. He had to be falling apart at the seams and unable to track us down. Yet in that dream both Harry and I had had, just before he had awoken with his scar hurting and my hand had felt like it was on fire, Voldemort had not been alone. He had been talking to Wormtail, plotting Harry's murder and my capture. Was it possible Wormtail had somehow done this?

"Who do you think did it?" Harry asked, finally shattering the silence.

"I wish I knew," I said quietly. "You know it wasn't me, right?"

"Of course!" Harry gasped, sounding horrified that I had even had to ask. "And you know it wasn't me, right?"

"Yeah."

We walked in silence for a while before Harry spoke again. "He'll figure it out, too," Harry said quietly.

"Too late," I muttered.

It seemed to be the end of our relationship. "Anyone with eyes can tell the two of you care about each other. Just give him some time to cool down," Harry suggested. I knew he was trying to be sweet and convince me that things would be okay with us, but I didn't want to hear it yet. So, I shot a scowl at him. Harry held his hands up in defense. "Okay, I'm sorry. I just thought you needed to hear it."

"I just want this horrible nightmare to be done with," I mumbled.

"So do I," Harry said.

But this nightmare didn't seem to be ending any time soon. This was a loop I was destined to be stuck in for at least a year. In one night, instead of supporting my boyfriend as the sole Hogwarts champion, I had now found myself as one of the competitors of the Triwizard Tournament alongside Harry - and we were both now likely going to be outcasts to the rest of the school. Not only that, but I had also now lost my boyfriend and it was partially my fault because I had pushed him away. The day had gone straight down the garbage chute.

It was shocking to find myself facing the Fat Lady already. I had barely noticed where my feet were carrying me. I had kind of been following Harry. It was also a surprise to see that the Fat Lady was not alone in her frame. The wizened witch who had flitted into her neighbor's painting when we had joined the champions downstairs was now sitting smugly beside the Fat Lady. She must have dashed through every picture lining seven staircases to reach here before us. Both she and the Fat Lady were looking down at us with the keenest interest.

"Well, well, well, Violet's just told me everything. You two have just been chosen as school champions, then?" the Fat Lady asked.

"Seems that way," I replied tonelessly.

"Balderdash," Harry said dully.

"It most certainly isn't!" the pale witch said indignantly.

"No, no, Vi, it's the password," the Fat Lady said soothingly, and she swung forward on her hinges to let us into the Common Room.

The blast of noise that met my ears when the portrait opened almost knocked me backward. I knew people would be up and curious to know what had happened but I wasn't expecting a full-grown party to be going on in the Common Room. I jumped, ready to turn and run to the Astronomy Tower and pray that Cedric was there waiting for me. Next thing I knew, we were being wrenched inside the Common Room by about a dozen pairs of hands and were facing the whole of Gryffindor House, all of whom were screaming, applauding, and whistling.

Nope! This wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to be alone to stew in my misery. "What the hell is this?" I asked blankly, suddenly realizing that Fred Weasley was at my side.

"You two should've told us you'd entered!" Fred bellowed; he looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Not Fred too. I needed someone to believe us. "I didn't do it," I told him blandly.

"What are you talking about?" Fred asked me, shocked.

"I didn't enter my name. Neither did Harry," I explained.

It seemed that Harry and I were the only people who weren't excited. "What's wrong with you?" Fred asked, seemingly finally noticing that I wasn't as happy as I should have been. "This is exciting! You've got a chance to win the Triwizard Tournament!"

"Leave it alone, Fred," I said.

"What happened?" Fred asked.

"I got my name put in the fucking Goblet of Fire, which was exactly where I didn't want it!" I shouted, losing my already short temper.

"Tara -"

"How did you two do it without getting beards? Brilliant!" George roared, interrupting his twin.

"We didn't," Harry said. "We don't know how -"

But Angelina had now swooped down upon him; "Oh if it couldn't be me, at least it's two Gryffindor's -"

"How did Diggory react?" Alicia asked.

"I'm going to bed," I said.

"Was he angry?" Angelina asked.

The last thing I wanted to talk about right now was Cedric and wherever our relationship was standing. "Can we not talk about this right now? I'm not in the damn mood," I snarled at the girls.

"You'll be able to pay back Diggory for that last Quidditch match, Harry!" Katie Bell shrieked, another of the Gryffindor Chasers. She grabbed me around the shoulders, trying to keep me excited. "Oh, come on, Tara! Just give him a kiss and he'll get over it."

It was a cute idea but I wasn't in the mood for cute. "That's not the problem," I said.

"He can't resist you. We all know it," Alicia said.

"Drop it," I told her, moving their arms off of me and attempting to get through the crowd. "And, come on, get out of my way! I want to go upstairs."

"Oh, come on," Fred said, taking my arm. "Celebrate for a while."

"I've got nothing to celebrate," I said.

"What?" Fred asked.

"We've got food, Harry, come and have some, Tara -"

"I'm not hungry, I had enough at the feast," Harry said.

"Eating will just make me sick," I said.

But nobody wanted to hear that we weren't hungry. Nobody wanted to hear that we hadn't put our names in the Goblet of Fire. Not one single person seemed to have noticed that we weren't at all in the mood to celebrate. No matter how much we asked them to leave us alone or give us a chance to breathe, it didn't deter people from pulling us along with them. Lee Jordan had unearthed a Gryffindor banner from somewhere and he insisted on draping it around Harry like a cloak. Alicia, Katie, and Angelina had all draped me in their Gryffindor sweaters and scarves.

It was too much in one night. I couldn't deal with everything that had happened with the tournament and Cedric and now be in the middle of a party. Neither Harry nor I could get away; whenever we tried to sidle over to the staircase up to the dormitories, the crowd around us closed ranks, forcing another Butterbeer on us, stuffing fries and peanuts into our hands. Everyone wanted to know how we had done it. They were all fascinated to know how we had tricked Dumbledore's Age Line and managed to get our names into the goblet.

"We didn't," Harry said, over and over again, "We don't know how it happened."

But for all the notice anyone took, we might just as well not have answered at all. No one wanted to know that we were upset and no one cared that we weren't in the mood to celebrate. All they wanted to know was how we had done it. Fred kept a hand tight around my waist, making it impossible to get more than a few steps away. He was desperately curious to know how Cedric had reacted to my name being called and now being a champion in the Triwizard Tournament but there were too many people around for me to tell him the truth.

"I need to get out of here. I'm leaving," I said.

"Me too. I'm tired!" Harry bellowed finally, after nearly half an hour.

It was loud and angry enough to get people to realize that we weren't joking. We genuinely wanted to be away from this. "Get off me, Lee!" I barked as Lee grabbed my arm. "I've had it with this day."

"No, seriously, George I'm going to bed -"

"Tara -"

"We'll talk in the morning, all right?" I told Fred, pulling out of his arms again. "I can't deal with this anymore tonight."

"Okay," Fred said, looking very worried about me. He reached up and brushed the hair back as I forced out a pathetic smile that probably looked a lot more like a scowl. Fred grinned at me. "Hey, as pathetic as you can be, I'm still rooting for you."

I forced a weak laugh. "Thanks, Freddie."

We exchanged a brief hug as I turned away. I knew Harry didn't want to be near me as I hadn't exactly been polite since this had happened. I didn't blame him. I wanted more than anything to find Ron and Hermione and the bit of sanity that would come with them, but neither of them seemed to be in the Common Room. Insisting that we needed to sleep and almost flattening the little Creevey brothers as they attempted to waylay us at the foot of the stairs, we managed to shake everyone off and climb up to the dormitory as fast as we could.

We stood at the break between the boy's and girl's dormitory for a moment, looking at each other. "Want to come up for a bit?" Harry offered, motioning toward his dorm.

"No, thanks. I think I'm going to head to bed. Night, Harry," I said. He nodded. "Tell Ron what happened, yeah?"

Harry nodded. "Of course. He probably wants to know anyway. So will Hermione."

"Yeah, I'll tell her what's going on," I confirmed.

"Goodnight, Tara," Harry said.

"Night," I whispered.

Maybe things would be better in the morning. There wasn't much of a chance that things could get worse. We shared a brief hug as Harry leaned down to press a kiss into my temple. I was furious with what had happened, but I had to admit that I was also glad someone else was caught up in this situation with me. We shared a brief smile as I headed to the girl's dorm and Harry headed to the boy's. To my great relief, I found Hermione lying on her bed in the otherwise empty dormitory, still fully dressed. She looked up when I slammed the door behind me.

"You weren't downstairs," I commented.

She looked nervous as she straightened up in bed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I knew you would be bombarded downstairs and I didn't want to be down there," Hermione said.

"Neither did I," I said, walking toward her.

I'd been planning on waltzing straight to her bed and collapsing on top of it with her, complaining about the situation with Cedric and being forced into the Triwizard Tournament. Hermione was grinning, but it was a very odd, strained sort of grin. I stopped dead in my tracks, suddenly becoming aware that I was still wearing the Gryffindor scarves and sweaters that the girls had tied around me. I hastened to take them off, but they were all knotted together. Hermione lay on the bed without moving, watching me struggle to remove them.

"You didn't hang out with Ron while you waited for us?" I asked her, trying to force the scarves off.

"Well... no," Hermione said awkwardly.

"What's going on?" I asked suspiciously.

"Ron isn't exactly happy, Tara," Hermione said carefully.

"Why?"

"Did you two enter yourselves?"

Not this. There was no way that Hermione and Ron didn't believe us. Was Harry having this same conversation with Ron right now? "Are you losing your goddamn mind?" I snapped. They were supposed to be our best friends. They were supposed to believe us. "Of course we didn't enter ourselves. We both thought about it but neither one of us would have acted on it. I'd have thought you and Ron would believe us, at least."

Hermione was shaking her head desperately. "Tara, we do. Ron's just jealous."

"Liar. You believe me about as much as Cedric did," I seethed. Why didn't anyone believe us? "And I don't really care that Ron is jealous."

"I believe you!" Hermione gasped, jumping up from the bed and running to me.

"Someone entered us," I told her.

"Do you know why?" Hermione asked.

"You'll probably just think it's a little too dramatic to say whoever it is, wants us dead," I said.

Hermione's face turned about as pale as I imagined it could go. "If you think there's real danger here, you should go talk to Professor Dumbledore about it," Hermione offered.

"I already did," I told her. Talking would do nothing. We were stuck as champions now and all I could do was complain about it. "The goblet is a legally binding contract. Even if your name comes out of it when you didn't enter, you're officially a champion. No going back. Whoever entered us knew that."

Hermione looked shocked to know that the Goblet of Fire was so easily deceived. "Did you get into trouble for it?" Hermione asked.

"No," I answered.

"That friend of the Fat Lady's, Violet, she's already told us all Dumbledore's letting you enter. A thousand Galleons prize money. And you don't have to do end-of-year tests either."

Was she kidding? That wasn't enough to make this easier on me. "You don't believe me," I commented.

"I do! I'm just - It's just so complicated."

"I know."

Complicated wasn't a good enough word to describe how I was feeling. I turned away from Hermione, gathering up my things to go to bed. "It's Ron who won't believe you," Hermione said.

I whipped around, dropping my pajamas to the ground. "What?" I snarled.

We all knew that Ron could be a complete tool sometimes, but was he really thick enough to believe that we had entered ourselves? "Tara... I'm sorry, but Ron thinks you and Harry somehow entered yourselves in the tournament. He spent all night trying to figure out how you'd done it before getting frustrated and going upstairs. He's probably cornering Harry right now," Hermione explained.

So, one more person who didn't believe that I was innocent. "Meaning he'll be cornering me in the morning," I said blankly, unwilling to believe that he thought we were guilty. "He's really stupid enough to think we did this?"

"He's jealous, Tara," Hermione reasoned.

"He's an idiot," I snapped.

Unfortunately, Hermione had always been able to see right through me. "What's going on?" she asked gently.

"What's going on?" I repeated, laughing humorlessly. There were so many things wrong that I couldn't even describe it. "That's a stupid question. What's going on is that someone entered my name into the Goblet of Fire and now I've been forced to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, and as interesting as I always thought it would have been, I didn't want to actually be a champion!"

"Tara, I believe you," Hermione said, rising to her feet and pressing a hand against my arm. "I know you couldn't break any spell Dumbledore put over the Goblet of Fire." I shook my head and let out a deep breath, forcing myself to keep my tears at bay. "What's _really_ going on?"

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head. "I'm just pissed off."

"You can tell me," Hermione said comfortingly.

She was right. If there was anyone I could talk to about this, it was her. I let out another breath. Right now, it was just the two of us even though it was sure to get around school soon enough. "Apparently, there's a stipulation for the champions that no one has ever heard of," I admitted.

"And what's that?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Champions can't be involved romantically," I spat out.

Hermione looked as shocked as I had felt. "What?"

So, I took a deep breath and recounted what the others had told me about how Cedric and I couldn't be together while the Triwizard Tournament was being played over the next nine months. Hermione's jaw dropped to the floor as I told her about how the rule had never been employed as the champions had typically never met before they were chosen and there had been no reason for the rule to be mentioned. It was unfortunate that it did make sense as I told her that the main reason was so that no cheating took place.

We were silent for a while as I faced Hermione. She moved forward slowly, placing her arms around me. "Oh, Tara, I'm so sorry that happened," she said. I shrugged, even though my heart felt like it was shattered into a thousand pieces right now. "But we all know that you're one of the best people I know at bending the rules."

"Not this time," I said, swallowing thickly.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Cedric doesn't believe me that I didn't put my name in the Goblet of Fire," I said. Hermione looked baffled to hear that. "Why would I want to be with someone who doesn't believe me?"

"Tara, I doubt he doesn't believe you. Maybe he's a little frustrated that he's no longer the sole champion from Hogwarts but Cedric thinks the world of you," Hermione said.

"Not anymore," I muttered.

"That can't be true."

"It is. And it's my fault."

"How could it be your fault?" Hermione asked.

 _Because I'm an asshole and can't wait for people to explain themselves_. I wasn't ready to explain myself to Hermione right now. I just wanted to see the inside of my eyelids. "You know what, I'll tell you in the morning. I'm not in the mood to talk about it," I told her. Hermione opened her mouth to speak when I spoke over her. "I'm going to bed, Hermione. I can't stay up any longer."

"Goodnight, Tara," Hermione said, resting a hand against my arm. "Things will get better."

Hermione watched me curiously for a moment. I could tell she wanted me to stay awake and explain everything that had happened, but I wasn't in the mood right now. I was bitter and angry and not good company. My friends were already hanging on by threads so there was no point in driving her away. I forgot about my pajamas and wrenched the hangings shut around my four-poster. As I laid on the sheets, I stared at the dark red velvet curtains, now hiding me from one of the few people I had been sure would believe me.

 **A/N:** ** _Next time..._** _Tara deals with losing her boyfriend and becoming a martyr alongside Harry while coming face-to-face with Rita Skeeter._ _ **CALMLY**_ , Michael Gambon. Oh, Fleur... You're so annoying in Goblet of Fire. At least she makes up for it in Deathly Hallows. I know Tara's reaction might not be expected, but she's afraid, a teenager, and short-tempered. I also thought it was important that she faces this alone for a while. Thank you for the hearts and sweet comments! Please let me know what you thought! Until next time -A

 _ **A QUICK NOTICE:**_ One more reminder, for anyone who would like to keep closer tabs on my stories, I now have a Twitter account set up so I can stay in touch with my readers and keep you all up to date on when you can expect new updates. Here's the link! e

 **Ghostie1701: Thank you very much! I love writing the Tara and Cedric scenes. They're so much fun. It's interesting that you didn't expect to see Tara's name on the paper as I honestly thought people mostly expected it. You would have to bribe me a lot to make Tara save Draco lol. They're not there yet. As for Cedric, that's a surprise. Marcus will be absolutely beside himself with what's happened to his daughter. He'll be back soon, I promise! As for Cedric's potential death, well, best not to worry yourself yet. I hope you liked this one!**

 **Vincent FGS91: Thank you! I know, I love my suspense! Tara just loves her new friends. I've got a plan for some bits of French to come in a few chapters down the road. Thank you very much, I'm feeling a lot better. I understand! I'm always busy. Hope you liked this one!**

 **Marnie: Well, I'm thrilled you finally decided to review! I know Tara's reaction probably isn't expected but she's been nonchalant about the things that have happened to her over the years that she's finally at her breaking point. Tara is hurt right now and Cedric was shocked, but we'll see more on that in the next chapter. I planned for this to be pretty brief and hopefully a little surprising. Tara and Fleur will definitely not be friends at all early on but they'll work towards it as we get further in the story. I love Fred! He's such a beautiful soul. I like that you think he should be endgame as most people lean toward Draco or Cedric. He does understand Tara, probably better than anyone else does. I needed Tara to be badass! I was way too sick of the weak or quiet OC's. Tara and Harry were both a little shocked and not ready to process their thoughts in this chapter, but we'll get way more of them supporting each other in the next chapter. Good point on why Cedric may not believe her! I love long reviews, don't worry about it! She does take that attitude. She will! She just has to get over the shock first. Hope you enjoyed this one!**

 **BearFangDK: Thank you! I hope you liked this one!**

 **WiccanWoman00: That's an interesting theory! We'll have to wait and see, but I like it! Hope you enjoyed this one!**

 **Dove Salvatore 21051: Sorry about the delay, but here's the new chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!**


	19. The Weighing of the Wands

When I woke up on Sunday morning, it took me a moment to remember why I felt so miserable and worried. Then the memory of the previous night rolled over me. Everyone in Hogwarts - except for the Gryffindor students - hated me. I was single. My now ex-boyfriend didn't believe me that I didn't put my name in the Goblet of Fire. I sat up and ripped back the curtains of my four-poster, hopping out of bed, determined to fix some of this mess. I could at least attempt to get Ron to believe me. He was my best friend. He _had_ to believe me.

It was early enough in the morning that I wouldn't risk running into many people. As it was the weekend I knew that most people wouldn't be awake. There was a chance that I could head Ron off downstairs before the rest of the Gryffindor students could get to him and give him the third degree. I just needed to talk to him before anyone else did. I could force him to understand that I hadn't wanted to be in the Triwizard Tournament. I could even start bargaining for Harry. Ron was our best friend. There was no way he wouldn't believe me.

Though I normally would have gotten dressed, today I didn't bother getting ready for the day. It was a weekend anyway and I figured that most people in Hogwarts wouldn't care what I looked like. I changed into a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt and pulled my tangled hair back. I couldn't bring myself to brush the knots out. Once I was satisfied that I didn't look homeless I turned and walked downstairs. I was grateful that no one was down in the Common Room and that I passed less than give people on the way to the Great Hall.

Unfortunately for me, there were a lot of people there. Most of the early risers were already midway through their breakfasts. I found myself feeling extremely awkward as I walked into the Great Hall, unsure of what I was supposed to do or say. Pretend that nothing had happened? Hold my head high? Could I yell at everyone not to look at me as I walked inside? Would it have been a better idea to take the Invisibility Cloak and drag Ron out of the Great Hall? I didn't want to face Cedric as we weren't supposed to be together but we weren't technically broken up either.

Every face turned to me as I walked into the Great Hall to attempt breakfast. I immediately spotted Ron and the Weasley twins sitting close together, speaking in hushed tones. Was it the right time to go over there? It didn't look like they wanted me near them. I swallowed thickly as I lost whatever nerve I had when I had first woken up. I couldn't speak to Ron. It didn't help that I could see Cedric looking directly at me. He looked like how I felt; confused. I walked to the edge of the Gryffindor table and sat down, unable to force myself to walk over to Ron.

The twins were the first to look my way. They looked like they felt extremely guilty for the way I was being treated. Over their heads, I could see the glare Ron was shooting my way. _Oh, come on_... If they were going to have a conversation about me it should have been done in private. Not with the rest of the school able to listen in. The whispers echoed all over the hall as I stared down at the table. I tried to catch Fred and George's eyes a few times but they were focused on their brother. Of course. No one was going to be my friend outside of Harry for now.

Not even the twins. They needed to take care of their brother. He was family, not me. My gaze shifted to the rest of the Great Hall. Everyone was staring at me but no one made a move to come to speak to me. They all wanted to know what was going on but they didn't want to be seen talking to me. I was public enemy number one. I ended up not making it more than five minutes before being unable to bear the looks and whispers any longer. It was far too awkward. So, I took an apple and hopped to my feet, leaving the Great Hall intent on going back to bed.

There was no point in sitting here putting myself on display like I was the most popular exhibit in the zoo. The gazes all followed me as I walked out with my head held high. I was just nearing the stairs when I heard footsteps following me. I whipped around to tell whoever it was to leave me alone but I faltered when I realized that it was Cedric. Without breaking eye contact I backed around the door to the hall to ensure that no one saw us. If he was going to talk to me, it was only going to be between us. He looked almost nervous to see me as he stepped behind the door.

We stood in silence together for so long that it almost became comical. My temper flared slightly as I became the first one to speak. "It's the first time in a long time either one of us was at a loss for words around each other. What do you want?" I snapped.

I could see Cedric swallow. "To tell you that I'm sorry," he said slowly.

The anger that was building in my chest continued to bubble. I was a lot bitterer about things than I had expected to be. "I don't want an apology, Cedric. You don't have to be sorry, I probably would have reacted the same way," I admitted. He looked surprised at my admission. "I just want to know that you believe me when I tell you I didn't put my name in."

"I - I believe you," Cedric stammered.

It was the least convincing argument that I had ever heard. He didn't sound like he believed me in the slightest. "No, you don't. You want to believe me, but you don't," I said quietly, wishing I was wrong.

When he didn't immediately respond by telling me that I was wrong, I scoffed and turned to walk away. His hand landed on my arm, yanking me back. "Tara, please don't walk away," Cedric begged.

"Why not? You're my _boyfriend_ , Cedric," I snapped. We stared at each other for a moment as the truth settled over us. We weren't together anymore. At least, we weren't supposed to be together. I swallowed thickly as I continued. "Or, you were my boyfriend. You're supposed to be the person who believes me, no matter what happens."

"Tara, I do believe you," Cedric said, running his hands up my arms.

"You don't believe me," I countered.

Cedric let out a deep breath as I pulled myself out of his arms. He remained a few steps back, knowing I didn't want to be that close to him. "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that it's hard to think of what else could have happened," he reasoned.

"So I've heard," I growled.

"You can't think of what happened? Maybe you said something to someone that you wanted to compete and they took it seriously. Maybe they thought it would be a funny joke and decided to enter you," Cedric offered.

The last thing I wanted was to try and figure out how my name had been entered. I had accepted it. Now I just wanted to be angry about it. "Why can't you just take my word for it? I didn't do it and that's that," I said irritably.

Cedric tilted his head to the side. "Tara -"

"Are you kidding? I didn't do this!" I yelled, fed-up with the conversation. I scowled at Cedric as he frowned at me, probably surprised that I had yelled at him. I lowered my voice as I continued speaking. "I don't know how this happened. I wish it hadn't." I wasn't sure where I was planning on taking the conversation next but I did notice that Cedric's eyes were scanning the hall. My heart sank into my stomach. "Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?"

Cedric shook his head. "No."

"Yes, you are."

"I'm not."

My hands were shaking as I wrang them together. My temper was going to get the better of me in a few moments. "It's too bad that you don't believe me," I said sadly. I knew it was time to walk away before I said something I regretted. Cedric opened his mouth to talk over me but I was too frustrated to keep listening to him. "You know, this isn't really what I signed up for. I think I'll just eat this upstairs."

Cedric reached out and took my arm again. "Tara, please don't go."

We stared at each other for a moment as I laid my hand over his, gently pushing him off of me, trying to convince myself that I didn't want to burn this particular bridge. "If you want to talk to me we can talk later," I offered. "I'm not in a chatty mood today."

"Promise me that we _will_ talk," Cedric said.

I stared at him and nodded. "Sure," I said tonelessly.

His grip relaxed on my arm enough so that I could gently pull myself away. The guilt settled in my stomach as I stared at him. I wanted to stay with him but I wasn't willing to do it when I wasn't positive that he believed me. Cedric watched me with a sad gaze as I turned and walked off. Neither one of us wanted to leave but we didn't know how to speak to each other. Not until things calmed down. I tried to keep my confidence up as I headed back to Gryffindor Tower, hoping that I could slip back in without being noticed.

Today wasn't a good day for chatter. I didn't know what I was supposed to say to anyone. I was fully intent on going back to bed and hoping that when I woke up tomorrow this would have all been a bad dream. I walked into the Common Room at the same time Harry was coming down from the staircase. I nodded at him as the Fat Lady's portrait closed behind me. The moment we had both appeared and the kids in the Common Room saw us, the people who had already finished breakfast or weren't planning on having any broke into applause again.

My stomach churned as I stared at them. This was worse than having them booing or ignoring me. I let out a deep breath as I tried to avoid the gazes in the room. This wasn't the reaction that I had been expecting. I'd thought they would have stared at me the same way everyone in the Great Hall had. I'd thought things would have calmed down after last night. At least, that was what I'd been hoping for. I crossed the Common Room without meeting any eyes and took Harry's hand as we shifted to the corner of the room.

The prospect of going back down into the Great Hall for Harry to eat his breakfast after my first failed attempt and facing a much larger group of the Gryffindor's, all treating me like some sort of hero, was not inviting. It was that, however, or stay here and allow myself to be cornered by the Creevey brothers, who were both beckoning frantically to Harry and me to join them. Sharing a quick look with Harry, we walked resolutely over to the portrait hole, pushed it open, climbed out of it, and found ourselves face-to-face with Hermione.

"Morning," I told her.

"Hello," Hermione said, holding up a stack of toast, which she was carrying in a napkin. "I brought you two this. Although it looks like you already went to breakfast."

She was looking at the still-untouched apple in my hand. "Well, I tried. It only lasted a few seconds. It's not very appetizing being down there. I mostly just got angry stares," I explained.

"The Gryffindor's?" Harry asked curiously.

"It looked like they felt too awkward to say or do anything. Ron was down there with the twins. I don't know, maybe they were trying to be respectful to him. It was the quietest I've ever heard the Great Hall," I explained, noticing Harry's defeated look at the mention of Ron.

"Was Cedric there?" Harry asked.

"Unfortunately," I muttered.

Both Harry and Hermione looked upset for me. "I'm sorry, Tara," Harry said.

"It's whatever," I said, waving him off.

"Want to go for a walk?" Hermione offered to us.

"Good idea," Harry said gratefully.

I wanted to go back to bed but I knew Hermione wouldn't let me do that. "Yeah, what the hell? Why not?" I conceded, taking a small bite of my apple.

We went downstairs, crossed the entrance hall quickly without looking in at the Great Hall, and were soon striding across the lawn toward the lake, where the Durmstrang ship was moored, reflected blackly in the water. It was a chilly morning, and Harry was quick to give me his sweater when he saw me trembling. We kept moving, munching our toast and splitting my apple, as Harry and I told Hermione exactly what had happened after we had left the Gryffindor table the night before. To our immense relief, Hermione accepted our story without question.

"You're the only one who believes that we didn't enter ourselves," I told her.

"Well, of course, I knew you two hadn't entered yourselves," Hermione said when Harry had finished telling her about the scene in the chamber off the Hall. "The looks on your faces when Dumbledore read out your names! But the question is, who did put them in? Because Moody's right, you two. I don't think any student could have done it... they'd never be able to fool the Goblet, or get over Dumbledore's -"

"It wasn't a student," I interrupted. That was the only thing I was positive of. "It was someone else. It was someone who's just as smart if not even smarter than Dumbledore. And I don't like that thought."

"Do you have any idea -?"

"Have you seen Ron?" Harry interrupted Hermione.

She hesitated. He knew Ron hadn't talked to me but he may have talked to her. I turned toward her too. "Um... yes. He was still at breakfast when I went downstairs," Hermione said.

"I saw him," I muttered.

"Did he say anything to you?" Harry asked.

"No. He stared at me and scowled and I looked away. He didn't look too happy to see me," I said.

"So, he still thinks we entered ourselves?" Harry asked.

"Probably," I said.

"Tara. Don't say that," Hermione chided as she looked at me. She looked back at Harry awkwardly. "Well... no, I don't think so... not really."

"What's that supposed to mean, 'not really'?" Harry asked.

"Oh Harry, isn't it obvious?" Hermione said despairingly. "He's jealous!"

"Jealous?" Harry said incredulously. "Jealous of what? He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the whole school, does he?"

Maybe he wasn't the most knowledgeable wizard in the world, but I wasn't planning on making a complete ass out of myself. If I had to do this I was going to try my hardest to win. "You might make a prat out of yourself. I'll figure something out," I teased Harry. We gave each other half-hearted smiles. "She's right, Harry. I knew that from the beginning. We seem to always be at the center of attention in the school. He's always in the background and I think this was the last straw."

"Tara's right. Look, it's always you two who get all the attention, you both know it is." She sounded more patient than I'd heard her in a long time. "I know it's not either one of your faults," Hermione added quickly, seeing Harry open his mouth furiously.

"No shit, it's not!" I barked.

"Tara!" Hermione chided my language.

My language was the last of my concerns these days. "He's more than welcome to have the fame for himself. Ask either one of us. I'm sure we'd happily give it up," I snapped angrily, knowing I was unfairly taking out my frustrations on her.

"Tara, I know you two don't ask for it... but - well - you know, Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you two are his best friends, and Harry, you're famous and Tara, you're popular - he's always shunted to one side whenever people see either one of you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many," Hermione explained.

"Great," Harry said bitterly. "Really great. Tell him from me I'll swap any time he wants. Tell him from me he's welcome to it. People gawping at my forehead everywhere I go."

"He has no right to be angry with us. _We're_ the only ones who deserve to be upset about this," I snarled, motioning between us. "Someone should say something to him because he sure as hell isn't going to listen to us."

"I'm not telling him anything," Hermione said shortly. "Tell him yourselves. It's the only way to sort this out."

"I'm not running around after him trying to make him grow up!" Harry said, so loudly that several owls in a nearby tree took flight in alarm. "Maybe he'll believe we're not enjoying ourselves once we've gotten our necks broken or -"

"That's not funny," Hermione said quietly. "That's not funny at all."

She looked extremely anxious. "It's just a joke, Hermione," I said emotionlessly.

"What if it isn't?" she shot back. Any nasty comments I'd had died on my tongue. She was concerned about our safety. "Harry, Tara, I've been thinking - you know what we've got to do, don't you? Straight away, the moment we get back to the castle?"

"Yeah, give Ron a good kick up the -"

"Yeah, right," I interrupted Harry. "Punch him dead in the -"

"Write to Sirius," Hermione interrupted, ignoring our insults. "You two have got to tell him what's happened."

"No," I deadpanned.

"Tara!" Hermione chided. "He asked you both to keep him posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts."

All that would do would give him the incentive to come back. "No doubt Mom and Dad will tell him soon enough," I reasoned. My heart sank at my comment. My parents... I would hear it from them. "Merlin, what am I even going to tell them?"

"The truth," Hermione said. I rolled my eyes. When had the truth ever worked out for me? "Just like you're going to tell Sirius. They'll talk about it soon enough. It's almost as if he expected something like this to happen. I brought some parchment and a quill out with me -"

"Come off it," Harry said, looking around to check that we couldn't be overheard, but the grounds were deserted this early in the morning. "He came back to the country just because of my scar and Tara's hand twinge. He'll probably come bursting right into the castle if we tell him someone's entered us in the Triwizard Tournament -"

"He'd want you two to tell him," Hermione said sternly.

"Of course, but neither one of us want him to be arrested just because we're having a hard time," I pointed out.

"He's going to find out anyway," Hermione said.

"How?" Harry asked.

"Mom and Dad will tell him," I explained.

"It's not just that. Harry, Tara, this isn't going to be kept quiet," Hermione said, very seriously. "This tournament's famous, and you're famous. Tara, you've got a famous father. I'll be really surprised if there isn't anything in the Daily Prophet about you two competing. Harry, you're already in half the books about You-Know-Who, you know and Sirius would rather hear it from both of you, I know he would."

"We know that," I mumbled.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," I said truthfully.

"Tara!" Hermione barked.

"Okay, okay, we'll write to him," Harry conceded, throwing his last piece of toast into the lake.

"Write to him for me, yeah?" I asked.

"Sure," Harry said.

"And give him my love."

"I will."

All three of us stood and watched the toast floating there for a moment before a large tentacle rose out of the water and scooped it beneath the surface. I gave a weak smile as I watched the Giant Squid pop above the surface for a moment before sinking again. Maybe if I was lucky Ron would fall in the Black Lake and make himself a new friend... Without another word we turned and returned to the castle. I kept my head low as we walked, spotting some of Cedric's friends in the distance.

"Whose owl am I going to use?" Harry asked as we climbed the stairs. "He told me not to use Hedwig again."

Hermione looked at me as I shook my head. "We can't use Dai. He told me the same thing," I said.

"Ask Ron if you can borrow -"

"I'm not asking Ron for anything," Harry said flatly.

"Well, borrow one of the school owls, then, anyone can use them," Hermione said.

"Come on," I muttered, speeding up to pass Cedric's friends before they could spot me.

We were halfway up the staircase with me at the forefront when Hermione bound up to me breathlessly. "Tara," she called. I gave her a sideways glance. "Do you want to talk about what happened between you and -?"

"No," I interrupted sharply, leaving no room for argument. "That's the last thing I want to talk about."

Hermione nodded, backing off immediately. "Okay. We're here if you need to talk."

"I know." We kept walking as I turned back to them, realizing that I was being an ass to my only two friends. "Thanks. Right now, I just want to pretend this didn't happen until I can wrap my head around what I'm going to do next," I explained.

"Run away?" Harry offered.

I smiled. "Something like that."

We went up to the Owlery luckily not encountering anyone else. As we walked into the Owlery I walked over to one of the older school owls, running my fingers through his feathers. Hermione gave Harry a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink, then strolled around the long lines of perches, looking at all the different owls, while Harry sat down against a wall and wrote his letter. After a moment I joined him, sitting at his side and resting my head on his shoulder to read what he was writing.

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _You told us to keep you posted on what's happening at Hogwarts, so here goes - Tara's here too, by the way, we didn't need to send you two different letters. I don't know if you've heard, but the Triwizard Tournament's happening this year and on Saturday night I got picked as a fourth champion and Tara was picked as the fifth champion. We don't know who put our names in the Goblet of Fire because we didn't. The other Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory, from Hufflepuff._

His hand stilled over the parchment for a moment. I knew that he was thinking about whether he should mention that Cedric was the boyfriend I had mentioned last year. "Just leave it at that. He knows who Cedric is," I said flatly.

"Okay."

He paused at that point, thinking. I wondered what else we could tell him. There wasn't much that we could say that wouldn't set Sirius on edge. I did have a large urge to ask Harry to say something about the large weight of anxiety that seemed to have settled inside my chest since last night, but I couldn't of think how to translate that into words. There was no way to say anything that wouldn't freak Sirius out, so Harry simply dipped his quill back into the ink bottle and placed his quill back on the parchment.

 _We both hope you're okay, and Buckbeak - Harry & Tara_

"Good enough," I said.

"Finished," Harry told Hermione, getting to his feet and brushing straw off his robes. At that, Hedwig fluttered down onto his shoulder and held out her leg. "I can't use you." Harry looked around for the school owls. "I've got to use one of these."

At least Dai was nowhere around here to be angry with me. I couldn't take another person to be angry with me. Hedwig gave a very loud hoot and took off so suddenly that her talons cut into Harry's shoulder. I grimaced, knowing it must have hurt. Hedwig kept her back to Harry all the time he was tying his letter to the leg of a large barn owl. When the barn owl had flown off, Harry reached out to stroke Hedwig, but she clicked her beak furiously and soared up into the rafters out of reach.

"First Ron, then you," Harry said angrily. "This isn't my fault."

"I know how you feel," I told Harry, placing a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

It was Sunday which meant there was nothing to do. I ended up settling on telling Hermione and Harry to enjoy their days as I wasn't in the mood to be social. Instead, I went upstairs and spent the day in my form. That was the only place I felt even moderately comfortable. I passed the day by taking an hour-long shower, reading my textbooks for hours on end to get ahead on my schoolwork, and taking a few naps. By the time the sun had set and it was time to go to bed, I was beginning to feel slightly better. Maybe the whole thing would have blown over.

If Harry and I had thought that matters would improve once everyone got used to the idea of the two of us being champions, the following day showed us just how mistaken we were. We could no longer avoid the rest of the school once we were back at lessons - and it was clear that the rest of the school, just like the Gryffindor's, thought Harry and I had entered ourselves for the tournament. Unlike the Gryffindor's, however, they did not seem impressed.

The Hufflepuff's, who were usually on excellent terms with the Gryffindor's, had turned remarkably cold toward the whole lot of us, which wasn't sitting well with anyone. One Herbology lesson was enough to demonstrate that. It was plain that the Hufflepuff's felt that Harry and I had stolen their champion's glory; a feeling exacerbated, perhaps, by the fact that Hufflepuff House very rarely got any glory, and that Cedric was one of the few who had ever given them any, having beaten Gryffindor once at Quidditch.

No one could believe that I had tried to steal my boyfriend's thunder. They all thought it was one of the most heartless things I could have done. Even the Gryffindor's thought it was a little out of character for me, which it would have been. Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley, with whom Harry and I normally got on very well, did not talk to us even though the four of us were repotting Bouncing Bulbs at the same tray - though they did laugh rather unpleasantly when one of the Bouncing Bulbs wriggled free from Harry's grip and smacked him hard in the face.

It didn't help that I had thrown the pot to the floor, shattering it. I'd lost ten points from Professor Sprout - whom I never lost points from - and it had given Justin and Ernie a good laugh. Ron wasn't talking to Harry or myself either. Hermione sat between us, making very forced conversation, but though we all answered her normally, we avoided making eye contact with each other. After losing points from Professor Sprout, I was convinced that she was not only distant with us but angry too - but then, she was Head of Hufflepuff House.

I didn't speak as I left the classroom, ahead of the rest of the students. I didn't want to be around anyone else. The Hufflepuff's were all chattering away, not trying to hide their conversations to spare my feelings. I heard Cedric's name come up in their conversations dozens of times. I rolled my eyes. It was none of their business if I was with him or not. Hell, I didn't even know if I was still with him. I had told him that we were essentially broken up but he had asked me if we could talk and I had promised that we would. What did that mean for us?

Unfortunately, I had heard the Hufflepuff's talking about the two of us no longer being together. I had been hoping that it would take a little longer than a day for the word to spread. I had wanted to at least have an answer from Cedric as to where we stood. We hadn't been able to fully talk out our relationship status which was what we needed. I figured that the rest of the students already knew about the situation as rumors tended to spread fast around Hogwarts. More than likely, Fleur had said something and it had spread from there.

I was already almost back to the castle when I passed a group of older Hufflepuff's. I quickly realized that they were a group of Cedric's friends who were looking directly at me. Cedric wasn't with them. "Ready to polish that new trophy, Tara?" Ted called.

The comment didn't register with me. "Sorry?" I asked.

"You know, the one you're only going to win because you cheated your way in," Ted continued, grinning at me.

My jaw dropped. They were angrier than I had been expecting. "Come on, Tara," Michael said, chuckling. "We all like watching you bend the rules, but wasn't this a little much?"

"I think she got the point. She lost her boyfriend for it," Daniel teased.

A stab of embarrassment shot through me. I knew they wouldn't be happy but I hadn't expected them to give me such low blows. "What the hell?" I growled, feeling my temper rise. "Come on, you guys have been my friends for years. I thought someone would believe me. I didn't do this! I don't know who put my name in the goblet."

"Please. You already got your name in. You can't get out so you may as well tell the truth," Ted said.

"I'm kind of curious how you got yourself into the tournament anyway," Daniel added.

"But I didn't -"

"Hey. Lay off," Cedric's voice called. His friends took a step back as I stared at them. They didn't look happy to see that Cedric was coming up to my side. "Go on. I'll catch up with you guys later."

"Ced -"

"Go," Cedric interrupted Ted.

His voice was more commanding than usual. As his friends walked off muttering to each other, I turned to stare at my now ex-boyfriend. At least, I figured that was what he was to me now. I couldn't stand here any longer as I could feel my throat tighten with the threat of tears. "You should go. I think your entourage is waiting," I told Cedric stiffly.

Cedric's chest deflated. "Tara..."

"What?" I snapped.

"I'm sorry for what they said to you," Cedric said.

"Yeah. Whatever," I huffed.

An apology wasn't helping my wounded pride. I turned to walk off when Cedric ran after me and took my hand. "Tara, wait!" Cedric called.

"Don't talk to me!" I shouted, ripping my hand out of his arm as I stumbled back. My tears were on the verge of slipping over my eyelids. "Just leave me alone. It'll be better for us both."

We stared at each other longingly for a moment before I turned and stormed off back to the castle just long enough to drop off my things and grab my Care of Magical Creatures book. I threw my things carelessly across the room and they scattered as they hit the floor. I rolled my eyes at my temper. It left me with one more thing to deal with later. I couldn't believe just how terrible life at Hogwarts had become over the past few days. I was one of the most hated people in Hogwarts and I was now single.

It didn't help that I was so bitter about the change in my life that I couldn't bring myself to talk to anyone. That certainly wasn't doing my any favors. I would have been looking forward to seeing Hagrid under normal circumstances, but Care of Magical Creatures meant seeing the Slytherins too - the first time I would have to come face-to-face with them since becoming a champion. Predictably, Malfoy arrived at Hagrid's cabin with his familiar sneer firmly in place.

"Ah, look, boys, it's the champions," Malfoy said to Crabbe and Goyle the moment he got within earshot of Harry and me. "Got your autograph books? Better get a signature now, because I doubt they're going to be around much longer. Half the Triwizard champions have died. How long do you reckon you're going to last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task's my bet."

"I don't give a damn what you think. Mind your fucking business," I sneered viciously.

The class whipped around to us. Me, more specifically. They had all expected Malfoy's teasing and maybe a shout from Harry but no one had expected me to react. Mainly because I had been mostly silent over the past few days thinking about what had happened to us. Malfoy's head snapped up to me at my sneer. Even Harry looked shocked by what I had just said. I was a little surprised by what had come out of my mouth. I scowled at Malfoy as we slowly approached each other.

"Someone's in a bad mood," Malfoy teased.

"Yes, I am, jackass," I growled.

We stared at each other for a moment as I reared back to hit Malfoy, who surprisingly caught my hand this time. It was the first time I had ever missed hitting him. "Getting a little predictable there, Nox," Malfoy teased.

Asshole... I scowled again as I kicked him directly in the groin. Malfoy groaned and collapsed to the ground. "Want to bet? Shut your goddamn mouth and don't talk about shit you don't understand," I said. I moved back to kick Malfoy in his teeth when Harry grabbed my robes and yanked me back. "Let go of -"

"Stop!" Harry hissed in my ear. "Hagrid's coming."

Harry pulled me back into the crowd as Crabbe and Goyle helped Malfoy to his feet. We all had to stay quiet because Hagrid emerged from the back of his cabin balancing a teetering tower of crates, each containing a very large Blast-Ended Skrewt. To the class's horror, Hagrid proceeded to explain that the reason the skrewts had been killing one another was an excess of pent-up energy and that the solution would be for each student to fix a leash on a skrewt and take it for a short walk. The only good thing about this plan was that it distracted Malfoy completely.

"Take this thing for a walk?" Malfoy repeated in disgust, staring into one of the boxes. "And where exactly are we supposed to fix the leash? Around the sting, the blasting end, or the sucker?"

"Don't be an asshole," I snarled.

"Tara." I fell silent at Hagrid's chiding. "Roun' the middle," Hagrid explained, demonstrating. "Er - yeh might want ter put on yer dragon-hide gloves, jus' as an extra precaution, like. Harry, Tara - you two come here an' help me with this big one."

Still steaming over Malfoy's comment earlier, I walked over to Hagrid with Harry. His real intention was to talk to the two of us away from the rest of the class. Hagrid waited until everyone else had set off with their skrewts, then turned to Harry and me and said, very seriously, "So - yer both competin'. In the tournament. School champions."

"Two of the champions," Harry corrected him.

Hagrid's beetle-black eyes looked very anxious under his wild eyebrows. "No idea who put yeh in fer it?"

"Not a clue," I said.

"You believe we didn't do it, then?" Harry asked, attempting to conceal what appeared to be a rush of gratitude he felt at Hagrid's words.

"Course I do," Hagrid grunted. "Yeh said it wasn' you, an' I believe yeh both - an' Dumbledore believes yer both, an' all."

"That's good to hear," I said.

"Wish I knew who did do it," Harry said bitterly.

"What happened to Malfoy, Tara?" Hagrid asked.

"He was being an ass about us being named champions so I kicked him where the sun doesn't shine," I said.

Hagrid laughed, shooting me a wink. "Good aim."

I almost smiled. "Thanks, Hagrid."

I could tell by the look on Hagrid's face that he wanted to ask her about Cedric. Everyone wanted to ask me about him. I gave a shake of my head that was barely perceptible. I didn't want to talk about my relationship with Cedric or what might come of it. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to recognize that my relationship with Cedric seemed to have come to an end. I was extremely grateful that Hagrid didn't push me to talk about something that I wasn't ready or willing to talk about.

All three of us looked out over the lawn; the class was widely scattered now, and all in great difficulty. The skrewts were now over three feet long, and extremely powerful. No longer shell-less and colorless, they had developed a kind of thick, grayish, shiny armor. They looked like a cross between giant scorpions and elongated crabs - but still without recognizable heads or eyes. They had become immensely strong and very hard to control. They were repulsive but Hagrid loved them.

"Look like they're havin' fun, don' they?" Hagrid said happily.

Harry and I exchanged a long look. I assumed he was talking about the skrewts because our classmates certainly weren't; now and then, with an alarming bang, one of the skrewts' ends would explode, causing it to shoot forward several yards, and more than one person was being dragged along on their stomach, trying desperately to get back on their feet. I had to cover my mouth to keep from hysterically laughing as Malfoy was shot back from one of the exploding skrewts.

"Yeah. They look thrilled, Hagrid," I commented.

"Ah, I don' know," Hagrid sighed suddenly, looking back down at us with a worried expression on his face. "School champions... everythin' seems ter happen ter you two, doesn' it?"

"I'll say," I muttered.

Harry didn't answer. Yes, everything did seem to happen to the two of us. We had discovered the Sorcerer's Stone in our First Year, we had gone to save Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets in our Second Year, and we had found out that we were Sirius Black's godchildren in our Third Year. Now we were champions in the Triwizard Tournament. It was more or less what Hermione had said as we had walked around the lake, and that was the reason, according to her, that Ron was no longer talking to us.

The next few days were some of my worst at Hogwarts. The closest I had ever come to feeling like this had been during those months, in my Second Year, when a large part of the school had suspected me of attacking my fellow students. But Ron had been on our side then. I thought I could have coped with the rest of the school's behavior if I could just have had Ron back as a friend, but I wasn't going to try and persuade Ron to talk to me if Ron didn't want to. Nevertheless, it was lonely with dislike pouring in on me from all sides.

I could understand the Hufflepuff's attitude, even if I didn't like it; they had their champion to support. It made perfect sense that they were angry with me. They thought that I had purposely tried to show up my boyfriend, which was a nasty thought. I would have never tried to show up Cedric. I had wanted him to be the champion. I had expected nothing less than vicious insults from the Slytherin's - I was highly unpopular there and always had been because I had helped Gryffindor beat them so often, both at Quidditch and in the Inter-House Championship.

It didn't help that I had always had a fraught relationship with Malfoy, who was the ringleader of the Slytherin's. I'd figured they would have nothing polite to say to me. But I had hoped the Ravenclaws might have found it in their hearts to support me as much as Cedric. I was wrong, however. Most Ravenclaw's seemed to think that Harry and I had been desperate to earn ourselves a bit more fame by tricking the goblet into accepting our names. I had a feeling Cho Chang might have had something to do with my new standing in Ravenclaw too.

Then there was the fact that Cedric looked the part of a champion so much more than either one of us did. I wasn't hopeless but I wasn't the kind of person who would have been expected to be a champion. Exceptionally handsome, with his straight nose, dark hair, and gray eyes, it was hard to say who was receiving more admiration these days, Cedric or Viktor Krum. I had seen the same Sixth Year girls who had been so keen to get Krum's autograph begging Cedric to sign their school bags one lunchtime.

That was enough to get my blood boiling. Things were even worse for me considering most of the students had been getting a good laugh out of my relationship with Cedric. The rumors had circulated the school and none of them were true. The students thought that Cedric was furious with me for entering myself and had told me that he didn't want to be together any longer. They thought it was a bitter breakup, which it kind of was. From what I had heard, Cedric had tried to quell the rumors but people thought he was just trying to be nice and not embarrass me.

The two of us hadn't spoken since he had told his friends to leave me alone. Not for a lack of trying on Cedric's part though. He had tried multiple times over the last week to get me to talk to him, but we were always around other people and the eyes always followed us. I didn't want to talk to him around other people. I didn't want to talk to him at all right now. I knew that I would be furious and say something I regretted. I would rather wait until I was a little more level-headed, though I didn't know when that would be.

I had barely spoken to anyone over the last week or so. Not that anyone wanted to speak to me. They were either furious with me or they didn't want to talk to me while I was as bitter as I was. I didn't blame them for not talking to me. I didn't even know what I would say to anyone. I just missed my friends and I missed my old reality. I hated thinking that the rest of the year and maybe the rest of my time at Hogwarts would be like this. No boyfriend and hardly any friends.

It was the middle of the night and I couldn't pretend to be asleep any longer, especially with Lavender's snores filling the room. I was going to lose it if I had to listen to her any longer. I wanted to go to the Astronomy Tower with Cedric but that ship had sailed. So, I settled on going to the Common Room. I threw my fluffy blanket over myself and headed downstairs, intent on curling up in front of the fireplace and falling asleep, but I was shocked to see that someone was already in my spot.

One of my good friends. "What are you doing down here?" I asked.

Fred Weasley looked up from his paperwork and smiled at me. "Couldn't sleep. Looks like you were having the same problem."

"So, you came down here to do homework?" I asked, spotting the Astronomy chart.

Fred chuckled, pushing his papers onto the side table. "I couldn't let people see me doing my homework. That would ruin my reputation," Fred teased.

I laughed. "We couldn't let people know you might care about learning."

"See? You've got it." I giggled again as Fred motioned to the empty half of the couch. "Want to sit?" Fred offered.

"Sure. Thanks," I said.

It would be nice to have a conversation with one of my friends without anyone around to listen to us. I smiled at Fred and took the now-empty spot next to him on the couch. I offered up part of my over-sized blanket, which he took. I shifted so that the blanket was wrapped over our shoulders and my legs were thrown over his waist, keeping us pressed together. Fred wrapped an arm around my waist to keep me pulled against him. I smiled as Fred placed a hand on my knee and I laid a hand over his.

There was a comfort with Fred that I had felt since we'd met almost five years ago. It was a comfort that I didn't quite feel with anyone else. I had one with Harry, Ron, Hermione, George, and Cedric, but this one was different. I didn't know what it meant. I rested my head in the crook of Fred's shoulder as he leaned his head against my hair. We sat in comfortable silence for a long time, watching the fire and listening to it crackle, neither one of us moving.

This was the most at peace I had felt since my name had been pulled from the Goblet of Fire. That was probably because Fred wasn't going to push me to speak. He had left the floor open so that I could speak if I wanted to or remain silent if that was what I wanted. I was so used to people staring at me and whispering about what had happened between myself and Cedric. All those rumors that were mostly lies. I liked the silence that didn't feel tense or uncomfortable with Fred.

Though, there was something I needed to say. "Finally ready to talk to me?" I asked Fred.

Fred turned to me and frowned. He looked like he felt horrible for what he had been doing to me. "Tara, I'm sorry," Fred said, tightening his grip on my knee. "I should have said something to you but Ron -"

"I get it, Freddie," I interrupted, waving off his concern. "Ron's your brother and he deserved to be the first one to get to talk to you."

"I wanted to talk to you afterward but you didn't look like you wanted to talk," Fred pointed out.

That was a fair statement. "I haven't. Every time I started talking everyone started listening and I don't want them to know how I'm feeling. I don't want them to know that I'm upset or heartbroken or bitter or whatever it is that I'm feeling," I muttered.

I'd rather them think that I was angry than know that their words had gotten to me. "I shouldn't have waited this long," Fred said.

"It's probably better that you did," I admitted. All I would have done was ruin that friendship. "I don't know what I would have said if you'd tried to push me. Hell, I told you that we would talk in the morning and I never lived up to that promise. I could have come to find you later that day but I couldn't bring myself to talk to anyone. I still don't know if I want to talk to anyone."

"What about me?" Fred asked.

"You're the only person I want to talk to right now," I said honestly.

Harry would be depressing and Hermione would try to point out the good things. "It's a good time to do that. No one else is around. Do you want to talk about what happened?" Fred asked.

"If I start talking, I don't know if I'll ever stop."

"That's okay."

"I doubt you want to hear about it."

"Only if you want to talk about it."

Maybe it would help to talk to someone about things. "You don't mind?" I asked Fred nervously.

"'Course not," Fred said.

If I had to talk to someone about things, it would be Fred. I took a deep breath before launching into the story of what had happened between Cedric and I. I told him about what had happened when we were in the room off of the Great Hall and followed by explaining the conversation with Cedric afterward. I even mentioned our awkward conversation the morning after my name came out of the Goblet of Fire. Fred didn't speak through the entire story. He just watched me, looking extremely guilty. When I stopped talking, Fred didn't speak.

Almost five minutes passed before he spoke for the first time. "Do you still want to be with Diggory?" Fred asked.

"Yeah," I admitted.

"I've seen him trying to talk to you. Hasn't he?" Fred asked knowingly.

"He has," I said.

"But you keep walking away," Fred pointed out,

"I do."

"A little counterintuitive, isn't it?" Fred asked with quirked eyebrows.

The world must have been coming to an end if Fred was right about things. His teasing comment did make me feel a little bit better. "I've been doing some thinking over the past few days and I think I realized that I'm not angry. I'm hurt," I admitted, feeling weak for saying it. "It hurts to feel like you've given your heart to someone and they just throw it away at the first sign of trouble. I'm much more hurt than I am angry and I think I put up that wall of anger to keep him from seeing how much he hurt me."

It took me a moment to realize that I was crying. It was the first time that I had genuinely allowed myself to think about my true feelings over the end of my relationship with Cedric and the nasty comments being thrown my way. I wasn't that angry with him. I was heartbroken. I wanted to be with him and I wanted him to believe me, but he didn't. He didn't have enough faith in me. I turned away from Fred slightly as I hated crying in front of people. I never did it. Fred turned my head to him as he reached up and wiped away my tears.

"Merlin, I hate crying in front of people," I chuckled pathetically. "I'm just so mad at him."

My voice cracked slightly as I spoke. "Rightly so. He should have believed you right away," Fred said. I let out a deep breath. "It's okay. This is the first time I've seen you cry."

"I never wanted you to see me cry," I said.

"I can see why. You've got alligator tears," Fred teased.

I laughed through my tears. "Freddie!"

"Sorry about that. I just wanted to see you laugh or smile. I got both."

He was one of the few people who had always been able to make me smile no matter the situation. "So you did. It hurts more than I thought it would. I remember everyone making fun of me last year when I couldn't go out with him again because of Sirius Black, but I knew the truth. I knew that we still cared about each other back then. But this is different. Girls are flirting with him and saying horrible things about me and now there's probably some air of truth," I muttered dumbly.

"There's not, Tara," Fred insisted. My head raised as I brushed away my remaining tears. "I see Diggory in class every day. I hear him tell his friends to stop making fun of you. I see him brush off girls trying to flirt with him. Regardless of what he says or does, he still cares about you."

A little flutter of hope welled up in my chest but it deflated quickly. "That's sweet, but he hasn't made the effort."

"He hasn't made the effort or you're not willing to let him try and make the effort?" Fred offered.

Damn him. My head snapped up as I met his knowing eyes. "I hate this version of Fred," I snapped, making him laugh. "I want you to sit here and call him mean names with me."

"Oh, I'd be more than happy to do that," Fred said, making me laugh again. "But I'm trying to help you out here. It won't help to sit here and be mad at him and feel sorry for yourself. You've got to do something."

"What should I do?" I asked.

"You're the only one who can answer that."

"That's a copout. I wanted you to tell me what to do."

Fred laughed. "I can't do that. This choice is going to have to be yours."

"What would you do?" I asked.

Fred remained silent for a few moments as he thought about his answer. "Let him sweat it out for a bit for being an ass and not believing you," Fred said. I snorted under my breath. "But eventually I think I would give him the time of day and a chance to explain what he was thinking. That's the only way I think you're going to get an answer. You can't just ignore him forever and expect things to go back to the way they were. You have to make some effort."

"I thought you didn't like him?" I asked.

Fred shook his head. "I don't. But I do like you and I want to see you happy again."

"Thank you, Freddie," I said, tightening my grip on his hand. "You truly believe that I didn't do it?"

Fred shook his head. "You're not that smart."

I laughed. "Thanks for that. I'm glad to know that someone believes me."

"Always," Fred promised.

At least someone would always be at my side. I smiled at him again as I leaned up and pressed a kiss against Fred's cheek. He smiled as we twined our fingers together. I leaned my head on Fred's shoulder and closed my eyes. I could feel Fred breathing in and out slowly. It was the most comfortable I had felt in the near week since my name was pulled from the Goblet of Fire. For a moment I believed that things might have been okay again. It might take a while, but if Fred believed in me, maybe everyone else would soon enough.

It was more than a little surprising when I was startled awake by the rising sun reflecting off through the stained glass windows. My heart skipped a beat as I cracked open an eye, realizing that it was early in the morning. I hadn't realized that I had kept my eyes closed for so long that I had fallen asleep. It was too early for other people to be awake but too late for us to still be downstairs in the Common Room. And, even more surprisingly, not alone.

I'd almost forgotten that I wasn't by myself when I had drifted off to sleep. I was shocked that Fred was still in the Common Room with me. He was dead asleep on the couch. We had shifted slightly in the middle of the night. He was leaned back on the pillows of the couch and I was leaned back against his chest. His hand that had been on my knee was now rested on my left hip and my fingers had become entwined with me. I blushed as the blanket was tangled around us, making it impossible for me to peel myself off of him.

Unable to get free myself, I decided to try and wake Fred up by gently nudging him. "Freddie," I whispered. He hummed in response but didn't open his eyes. "Freddie. Come on, get up. We fell asleep."

"Huh?" Fred mumbled.

"We fell asleep down here. We should get moving," I said.

Like me, Fred had never been much of a morning person. It frequently took more than one person to wake either one of us up. Fred blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes as he looked down at me. His long hair was ruffled and his eyes were hazy with sleep. I had never seen Fred look as unassuming as he was right now. It was a surprisingly good look for him. Fred looked surprised to see that he was still in the Common Room, but not as surprised as I had been. He looked at our entwined bodies and grinned sleazily at me.

"I don't know, I kind of like it here," Fred teased.

"Shut up," I said, whacking him on the shoulder. Fred chuckled slightly as I pushed his face away from mine. "Come on. We have to go before everyone starts waking up."

"You don't want people to see you like this?" Fred asked.

I rolled my eyes at him. "You're an ass," I snapped. "Come on, it's time to go."

The last thing I needed was rumors that Fred and I had something going on. That would surely damn any chance I had of ever reconciling with Ron. Fred looked at me for a moment as I felt my face heat up. He looked like he had something to say. When he did speak, I should have seen it coming. "You have terrible morning breath, you know?"

My face fell. "You're an ass."

We both laughed as Fred wrapped an arm over my shoulders for a moment. "Just kidding," Fred teased.

"Sure, you are," I huffed.

We laughed again as I let out a deep breath. It had been nice to be here for a while but now it was time to get back to reality. Back to the school hating me. We smiled at each other as I leaned up and pressed a kiss against Fred's cheek and rested a hand against his chest. My eyes slipped closed for a moment and I felt his fingers close over mine as I kneeled in front of him. When I pulled back after a few seconds, I smiled bashfully at him. He reached up and ran a finger around a strand of my hair as I rose to my feet.

"Thanks for tonight, Freddie. I needed it," I said honestly.

"Anytime." I turned to walk off when I was stopped by his voice. "Tara."

"Yeah?"

Fred's face was oddly even. There was no trace of amusement or teasing. "You care about him, don't you? Diggory?"

"I do."

Fred nodded slowly. "He's a good guy." He rose to his feet and walked toward me, stopping only inches away. "He should know how lucky he is to have you."

What had he just said to me? I watched Fred, who had rendered me completely speechless by the way he had spoken to me. We had always messed with each other. This was the nicest he had ever been. There had to be something more. I stood ramrod still as Fred passed me at the base of the stairs. He stood almost against me as my chest tightened and I stopped breathing, only letting out my breath when he gave me a slight smile and finally passed me to go back upstairs to his dormitory.

I waited for a moment as I watched Fred vanish up the stairs back where he was supposed to be. I had never expected Fred to be the one I told my problems to, so I was surprised by just how helpful he was. With a dumb smile on my face, I wandered back upstairs and headed toward my dormitory. I was surprised to see that Hermione was already awake. Her head snapped over to me and I could tell there was a brief moment of relief in her eyes. She was probably worried about me. Hermione kept her voice down as she spoke to me to avoid waking up the others.

"Where were you?" Hermione asked. "I woke up and you were gone."

"Just out," I said.

"Making up with Cedric, I hope?"

"Yeah, right. No, I was just sitting down in the Common Room."

"Alone?" Hermione asked curiously.

I smiled vaguely. "No."

The brief happiness that my evening with Fred had given me didn't end up lasting very long. My usual friends ignored me and didn't seem very interested in holding a conversation with me. The Gryffindor's were thrilled with me but they thought that I had entered. They only wanted to talk about that. Fred continued to speak with me but only at night when no one else listened. It was partly because I offered to only speak then. I didn't want him to get his reputation hurt. The rest of the school either ignored me or made nasty comments in my direction.

Meanwhile, making things even worse for my psyche, there was no reply from Sirius. Hedwig was refusing to come anywhere near Harry and it seemed that Dai was siding with his friend - he wouldn't come within a few meters of me. Professor Trelawney was predicting both mine and Harry's deaths with even more certainty than usual. Though Harry was having a worse time than me. He did so badly at Summoning Charms in Professor Flitwick's class that he was given extra homework - the only person to get any, apart from Neville.

The look on his face as we left the classroom told me that he was upset I hadn't done as poorly as he had. "Mom's good at it," I explained as we headed downstairs. "That's the only reason I got through it. Otherwise, I was thinking about cursing Malfoy to the high heavens."

"Put in a few for me," Harry said.

"I will. I'll do the work for you. No reason for you to spend hours trying to figure it out," I offered.

Harry looked about ready to take me up on my offer when Hermione stepped in. "Tara!" she chided. "You can't do that."

"Why not?" I asked.

"It's not that difficult, Harry," Hermione tried to reassure him as she ignored my offer - like me, she had been making objects zoom across the room to her all lesson, as though she were some sort of weird magnet for board dusters, wastepaper baskets, and lunascopes. "You just weren't concentrating properly -"

"Wonder why that was," Harry said darkly as Cedric walked past, surrounded by a large group of simpering girls, all of whom looked at Harry as though he were a particularly large Blast-Ended Skrewt. They giggled at me as they saw my bitter stare. "Still - never mind, eh? Double Potions to look forward to this afternoon."

We both stopped walking long enough to stare at each other. I tried to keep my face emotionless as Cedric gave me what I wanted to imagine was a longing look. "Tara -"

"Ced!" a Seventh-Year Hufflepuff girl interrupted him. "Come on!"

We stared at each other for a moment longer. "Your fan club is waiting," I said tonelessly.

"Tara," Cedric repeated. "I want to -"

"Not out here," I interrupted. I wanted so badly to speak to him but we had an entourage going right now. "If we're going to talk... I don't want everyone else to hear."

Cedric nodded. "I know. But -"

"Ced!" another girl called; a Sixth-Year Ravenclaw this time. "Come on!"

"You're not getting anywhere over there," a third girl teased; another Seventh-Year Hufflepuff.

"Go on, _Ced_. They're calling you," I snarled.

"Tara!" Cedric called.

Cedric and the three girls watched as I whipped around and walked back to my friends, who looked very surprised to see how my conversation had gone with my ex-boyfriend. "He seems to want to talk to you," Hermione said quietly.

"Yeah, I've seen," I muttered.

"Tara -"

"I'm not talking about it," I interrupted her. "I've got enough to think about right now."

Double Potions was always a horrible experience, but these days it was nothing short of torture. Being shut in a dungeon for an hour and a half with Snape and the Slytherins, all of whom seemed determined to punish Harry and me as much as possible for daring to become champions, was about the most unpleasant thing I could imagine. I had already struggled through one Friday's worth, with Hermione sitting next to me intoning 'ignore them, ignore them, ignore them' under her breath, and I couldn't see why today should be any better.

All today's lesson would do would be to drive my blood pressure up even further. When Harry, Hermione, and I arrived at Snape's dungeon after lunch, we found the Slytherins waiting outside, each and every one of them wearing a large badge on the front of his or her robes. For one wild moment, I thought they were S.P.E.W. badges - which was a stupid thought - then I saw that they all bore the same message, in luminous red letters that burnt brightly in the dimly lit underground passage:

SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY - THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION!

"Oh, that's really intelligent," I huffed.

"Ignore it. He's trying to get a rise out of you," Hermione advised.

"Of course," I said.

"Like them, Potter? What do you think, Nox?" Malfoy asked loudly as Harry and I approached.

I was shocked that he was still teasing us even after Hagrid's class earlier. "Love 'em," I said shortly.

"And this isn't all they do - look!" Malfoy continued.

He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green:

POTTER STINKS! NOX SUCKS!

Another one of their stupid jokes that meant nothing, but the insults were all starting to pile on and I wasn't sure how many more of them I could tolerate. It felt like I could have killed one of the Slytherins - particularly Malfoy. The Slytherin's howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too until the message POTTER STINKS! NOX SUCKS! was shining brightly all around me. I could no longer hear Hermione repeating to ignore them. I felt the heat rise in my face and neck.

"Wow, that's a clever insult," I said, gritting my teeth as I tried to keep my temper in check.

"What do you think, Nox?" Malfoy asked.

"I think it's a perfect example of your limited mental capacity," I said coolly.

"Oh very funny," Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy Parkinson and her gang of Slytherin girls, who were laughing harder than anyone. "Really witty."

Ron was standing against the wall with Dean and Seamus. He wasn't laughing, but he wasn't sticking up for Harry either. A few other people were walking through the hallway. Some were Hufflepuff's who were coming out of their Potions lesson. It meant that we only had to tolerate Malfoy's jibes for a few more minutes. I saw some of Cedric's friends coming out of the classroom and chuckle at the badges. They were wearing their own badges.

"Want one, Granger?" Malfoy asked, holding out a badge to Hermione. "I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up."

"What the hell is your problem?" I snapped.

Had everyone gotten it in their heads over the past few weeks that they were going to be complete assholes to each other? I moved to advance on Malfoy when Hermione grabbed me by the back of the robes and pulled me back. But I needed to get to him. Some of the anger I had been feeling for days and days seemed to burst through a dam in my chest. I yanked away from Hermione so hard that I felt the robes rip. Beside me, Harry had reached for his wand. People all around us scrambled out of the way, back down the corridor.

"Tara! Harry!" Hermione said warningly.

To my surprise, Malfoy didn't direct his next comment to me even though I had been attempting to go after him too. "Go on, then, Potter," Malfoy said quietly, drawing out his wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now - do it, if you've got the guts."

For a split second, they looked into each other's eyes, then, at exactly the same time, both acted. "Funnunculus!" Harry yelled.

"Densaugeo!" Malfoy screamed.

"Idiots!" I shouted.

That was why I went with physical fights. There was no chance of spells going the wrong way. Jets of light shot from both wands, hit each other in midair, and ricocheted off at angles. Most of the students in the hall were on their knees to try and avoid the wayward spells. Harry's had hit Goyle in the face, and Malfoy's had hit Hermione. Goyle bellowed and put his hands to his nose, where great ugly boils were springing up. I was ready to laugh when I saw that Hermione, who was whimpering in panic, was clutching her mouth.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled.

"Mione!" I gasped.

Ron had hurried forward to see what was wrong with her; Harry and I sprinted over to make sure she was okay. I turned and saw Ron dragging Hermione's hand away from her face. It wasn't a pretty sight. Hermione's front teeth - already larger than average - were now growing at an alarming rate; she was looking more and more like a beaver as her teeth elongated, past her bottom lip, toward her chin - panic-stricken, she felt them and let out a terrified cry.

"Oh, my... You idiot!" I shouted, turning back to Malfoy. "What the hell did you do?"

Malfoy was laughing with the rest of his cronies. "Made it better."

"You piece of -"

"And what is all this noise about?" a soft, deadly voice called. Snape had arrived. The Slytherin's clamored to give their explanations; Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said, "Explain."

"Potter attacked me, sir -"

"We attacked each other at the same time!" Harry shouted.

"- and he hit Goyle - look."

Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi. "Hospital wing, Goyle," Snape said calmly.

"Malfoy got Hermione!" Ron said. "Look!"

My stomach churned as I saw Snape walk toward Hermione. He looked far more careless than I had ever seen him. Snape forced Hermione to show him her teeth - she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. They must have been heavy and extremely painful. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape's back.

Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, "I see no difference."

Hermione let out a painful whimper. Her brown eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heel and ran up the corridor and out of sight. I wasn't the only person who looked shocked by what Snape had said. I knew that Snape wasn't the nicest professor in the world and I knew that he had never liked any of the Gryffindor's, but I hadn't expected him to belittle a teenage girl who he already knew was self-conscious, particularly about her teeth.

It didn't surprise me that Snape didn't side with us. I figured he would send Goyle to the hospital and ignore what we said about the incident. No matter how much I thought about it, I was still genuinely shocked that Snape had hurled an insult toward Hermione. It was lucky, perhaps, that both Harry and Ron started shouting at Snape at the same time; lucky their voices echoed so much in the stone corridor, for in the confused din, he couldn't hear exactly what they were calling him. He got the gist, however.

"Let's see," Snape said, in his silkiest voice. "Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention each for Potter and Weasley. Now get inside, or it'll be a week's worth of detentions."

But I wasn't finished. "Are you fucking kidding?" I asked, so loudly that every conversation died at once.

"Tara," Harry said quietly.

Even he knew that I was stepping on dangerous territory. "Are you that daft that you can't see past your bias toward Gryffindor and be fair for half a second?" I snarled at Snape. "You _know_ that he's a -"

I was still in the middle of my ranting and raving - likely getting myself expelled - when I was pulled off to the side by a large body. I jumped slightly as I nearly fell over my feet. My eyes were still locked with Snape's, who looked like he was about ready to kill me. My scowl was broken as Snape's eyes tracked up to the person who was still holding onto me. I looked up myself and realized immediately that it was Cedric. Naturally. I tried to pull myself out of his grip but he was stronger than I had realized.

"Nox -" Snape spat venomously.

"Professor Snape, please excuse her," Cedric said slowly. Snape turned his vile gaze on him. "She's been out of her right mind since her name was called. Please, you can understand. Tara is under a lot of stress right now. She didn't mean it. Did you?"

"What are you -?"

" _Did you_?" Cedric repeated urgently.

His hands were so tight on my hip that it was moderately painful. "Ow. No, I didn't mean it." Cedric's grip increased. I knew what he wanted. "Sorry," I told Snape as heartfully as I could.

Snape stared at me for so long that I began preparing my speech to Dumbledore to keep me from getting expelled. "One hundred points from Gryffindor for your words," Snape settled with. I had to keep myself from letting out a breath of relief. I was getting off easy. "Go, before I give you detention for the rest of your days at Hogwarts."

Without another word, Snape walked off. I fumed for a moment before I realized that Cedric was still holding me. I yanked myself out of his grip. "Get off of me," I snapped. "I didn't need you to do that."

"Really? Because you seemed to be doing a marvelous job getting yourself expelled," Cedric snarled.

"I was not," I argued.

"At least getting yourself detention until you graduate," Cedric corrected himself.

"What do you care? We're not together anymore," I hissed, louder than I'd meant to.

"And whose choice was that?" Cedric shot back.

My jaw fell open as the people in the hall began to chuckle. It was the first time someone had said it to me. Despite that I was angry with him for not believing me, I was the one who had ended things. This was my fault. Cedric stared at me for a moment before turning and walking away. I felt my ears steaming as I walked away, Harry at my heels. The injustice of the events made me want to curse Snape into a thousand slimy pieces. I passed a waiting Snape, walked with Ron to the back of the dungeon, and slammed my bag down onto the table.

Ron was shaking with anger too. We exchanged a quick look with each other before breaking eye contact. For a moment, it felt as though everything was back to normal between the three of us, but then Ron turned and sat down with Dean and Seamus instead, leaving Harry and me alone at our table. We sighed and tucked into the table. On the other side of the dungeon, Malfoy turned his back on Snape and pressed his badge, smirking. POTTER STINKS! NOX SUCKS! flashed once more across the room.

My temper getting the best of me again, I went to stand up and tackle Malfoy when Harry grabbed my knee, forcing me back into my chair. He shook his head at me and I sighed. I knew that he was right. Malfoy wasn't worth whatever I was planning to do. I sat at the table staring at Snape as the lesson began, picturing horrific things happening to him. If only I knew how to do the Cruciatus Curse. I would have Snape flat on his back like that spider, jerking and twitching.

"Antidotes!" Snape said, looking around at us all, his cold black eyes glittering unpleasantly. "You should all have prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully, and then, we will be selecting someone on whom to test one."

Snape's eyes met Harry's and then mine, and I knew what was coming. Snape was going to poison one of us. Maybe both of us after the events of this afternoon. I imagined picking up my cauldron and sprinting to the front of the class and bringing it down on Snape's greasy head. Then a knock on the dungeon door burst in on my thoughts. It was Colin Creevey; he edged into the room, beaming at Harry and me, and walked up to Snape's desk at the front of the room.

"Yes?" Snape asked curtly.

"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter and Tara Nox upstairs," Colin said.

Snape stared down his hooked nose at Colin, whose smile faded from his eager face. "Potter and Nox have another hour of Potions to complete," Snape said coldly. "They will come upstairs when this class is finished."

Colin went pink. "Sir - sir, Mr. Bagman wants them," he said nervously. "All the champions have got to go, I think they want to take photographs."

Oh, no... I didn't want to have to be in the same room as Cedric for a few days. Not after the way we had blown up at each other in a very public manner. It would only be a matter of days before everyone heard about that argument. I would have given anything I owned to have stopped Colin from saying those last few words. All those would do would set us back to the beginning with Ron. I chanced half a glance at Ron, but Ron was staring determinedly at the ceiling.

"Very well, very well," Snape snapped. "Potter, Nox, leave your things here, I want you both back down here later to test your antidotes."

"Please, sir - they've got to take their things with them," Colin squeaked. "All the champions -"

"Very well! Potter, Nox - take your bags and get out of my sight!" Snape yelled.

There was no need to tell me that twice. The last thing I wanted to do was be stuck with Snape for the next hour. Harry and I both swung our bags over our shoulders, got up, and headed for the door. I nudged Harry along with me. It was probably best that we darted off before either one of us got a year's worth of detentions from Snape. As we walked through the Slytherin desks, dozens of POTTER STINKS! NOX SUCKS! flashed at me from every direction. I felt sick to my stomach.

"It's amazing, isn't it, Harry? Don't you think, Tara?" Colin said, starting to speak the moment Harry had closed the dungeon door behind us. "Isn't it, though? You two being champions?"

"Not really," I said.

"Yeah, really amazing," Harry said heavily as we set off toward the steps into the entrance hall. "What do they want photos for, Colin?"

"The Daily Prophet, I think!"

"Marvelous," I groaned.

"Great," Harry said dully. "Exactly what we need. More publicity."

"Good luck!" Colin chirped when we had reached the right room.

With one look at each other for confidence, Harry knocked on the door and we entered. We were in a fairly small classroom. Most of the desks had been pushed away to the back of the room, leaving a large space in the middle; three of them, however, had been placed end-to-end in front of the blackboard and covered with a long length of velvet. Six chairs had been set behind the velvet-covered desks and Ludo Bagman was sitting in one of them, talking to one of my least favorite people in the world, Rita Skeeter, who was wearing magenta robes.

Viktor Krum was standing moodily in a corner as usual and not talking to anybody. Cedric and Fleur were in conversation. I scowled at them. I didn't want anyone talking to Cedric. Fleur looked a good deal happier than I had seen her so far; she kept throwing back her head so that her long silvery hair caught the light. I scowled again. A paunchy man, holding a large black camera that was smoking slightly, was watching Fleur out of the corner of his eye. Bagman suddenly spotted Harry and me, got up quickly, and bounded forward.

"Ah, here they are!" Bagman said excitedly. "Champions number four and five! In you come, Harry, Tara, in you come. Nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment."

"Wand weighing?" Harry repeated nervously.

"We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems, you know, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead," Bagman explained.

"The expert's upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a little photo shoot. This is Rita Skeeter," Bagman added, gesturing toward the witch in magenta robes. I groaned. "She's doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily Prophet."

"You're kidding?" I whined.

"No. Rita's the best writer we've got!" Bagman chirped.

"Which isn't saying much," I said pointedly.

"That's not polite," Bagman told me.

"So?" I snapped.

"Maybe not that small, Ludo," Rita Skeeter said, her beady eyes on Harry.

It wasn't surprising that she wanted everything to do with Harry. It was even less surprising that she shot a scowl toward me. I knew without a doubt that Skeeter's piece for me wouldn't be kind. Oh well. No one liked me that much right now anyway. Skeeter's hair was set in elaborate and curiously rigid curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. She wore jeweled spectacles. The thick fingers clutching her crocodile-skin handbag ended in two-inch nails, painted crimson.

"I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry and Tara before we start?" Skeeter said to Bagman, but still gazing fixedly at Harry.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"The youngest champions, you know... to add a bit of color?" Skeeter asked.

"To say all sorts of horrible things about us to add to your gossip column, you mean," I corrected her loudly.

"Certainly!" Bagman cried. "That is - if Harry and Tara have no objections?"

"Er -" Harry said dumbly.

"Yeah, I do," I said bluntly.

"Come now, Tara. Be a team player!" Bagman said happily.

"No," I deadpanned.

"Lovely," Skeeter said, and in a second, her scarlet-taloned fingers had Harry's upper arm in a surprisingly strong grip, and she was steering him out of the room again and opening a nearby door.

"Okay then," I muttered.

It seemed that I wasn't getting a choice of whether or not I wanted to talk to Skeeter. "Take a seat, then," Bagman told the remaining champions. "We'll be getting started soon!"

Fleur, Viktor, and Cedric turned to each other but I walked away. I wasn't involved in this and I had nothing to say to any of them. I felt the fury bubbling in my chest again as I looked at the fireplace. I wanted to leave. I was so angry that I felt like I might explode. I was sitting alone in the corner of the room for a few minutes, waiting for Harry to finish with Skeeter. I would be going when he was done. I was waiting in silence but I wasn't left alone for long. There was a shadow at my feet and my heart skipped a beat.

"Can I sit?" Cedric asked.

"Free country," I said quietly.

Cedric gave me a weak smile as he sat down at my side, closer to me than anyone else would have but not as close as he usually would have. We sat in silence for a while before Cedric spoke. "What do you think of Skeeter?" he asked.

I laughed humorlessly. "You're asking me what I think of Skeeter?"

"You're right. That was stupid," Cedric said, rolling his eyes at himself.

"Don't feel bad, you're on a roll lately," I said plainly.

"And I deserved that," Cedric commented.

"I'm not done," I said honestly.

Cedric glanced up to ensure that no one was looking at us as he reached over and took my hand. For the first time, I didn't pull away from him. "Tara, I'm sorry for what I said to you on Halloween," he said. I gave him a long stare. "You told me that you didn't put your name in the Goblet of Fire and I should have believed you."

"I would have believed you," I said honestly.

Cedric nodded. "I know and I'm ashamed that I didn't."

A wave of sadness washed over me. He had been trying so hard to make things up to me and I had been completely unresponsive. "Don't be ashamed. I get it. It wasn't an easy story to believe," I conceded. "And I owe you a 'thank you' for earlier. You were right. I was on my way to getting myself expelled."

"I wasn't going to let that happen to you," Cedric promised.

"Why? I've been an ass to you," I said.

Cedric gave me a knowing smile. "You know why." I did know why. I looked at him and gave a weak smile. Of course. Despite what had transpired between us, he still cared for me. "You've got to stop doing that. You're going to get yourself in serious trouble," Cedric said.

"I know. I don't know what's wrong, I'm just so angry," I said quietly.

"Of course. I would be angry too. You've -" Cedric stopped talking when he saw the look on my face. "I'm sorry."

Giving him a vague smile, I shook my head. "That's okay. I haven't exactly made myself look too great. I could have been the bigger person since this all started but I've attacked everyone. The people who were briefly sticking up for me won't come near me now because I've been so nasty to them," I said, knowing it was all my undoing.

"They'll get over it," Cedric said.

"Maybe. Or, maybe not. Hey, at least you have your fan club waiting for you, _Ced_ ," I teased.

Cedric smiled. "Did I ever tell you that I hated that nickname?"

"You offered me to call you that once upon a time," I pointed out.

"I've always liked that you didn't."

"Really?"

As far as I knew, I was the only friend of Cedric's that didn't call him by his nickname. "You've always been so different from anyone else I knew at Hogwarts. Or anywhere else, if we're being honest," Cedric chuckled.

I laughed, noticing that he was giving her a long look. "Do you have something to say to me?" I asked.

We met eyes and smiled at each other. "There are quite a few things I'd like to say to you, so why don't I start with the simplest?" Cedric offered. I smiled and nodded. "The Fifth Years have Astronomy tonight, but what do you say you meet me in the Astronomy Tower tomorrow night? I've never known you to say no."

That surprised me, but it was a welcome surprise. "Tara!" Bagman called. Cedric retracted his hand from my knee. "Come along."

I stood up and smiled at Cedric. "Can I expect you there?" he asked.

I smirked at him. "Go and find out."

Fred was right. It wouldn't kill Cedric to sweat things out for a little while. Cedric chuckled as I walked behind Bagman. "With me, Tara. Right this way and you'll be in here," Bagman said, stopping at a small door.

"A broom cupboard?" I asked.

"Nice and cozy," Skeeter chirped.

As she said that I watched Harry rise and walk past me in what appeared to be a daze. "How was it?" I whispered to him.

"She's not setting us up to succeed," Harry replied.

"Shocking," I muttered.

Bagman reached out and took Harry back to the main room as Skeeter motioned me toward her. "In here, my dear. Yes, that's right - lovely," Skeeter said, perching herself precariously upon an upturned bucket, reaching out for my arm and pushing me down onto a cardboard box. Once I was seated, she reached out and closed the door, throwing us into darkness. "Let's see now."

If Skeeter was angry with the way I had spoken to her earlier, she didn't make it known. She looked as vile as ever, her eyes trailing up and down my body a few times. I scowled at her and leaned back against the door. Skeeter unsnapped her crocodile-skin handbag and pulled out a handful of candles, which she lit with a wave of her wand and magicked into midair so that we could see what we were doing. I had half a mind to jam my wand into her eye to keep from having to do the interview.

"You won't mind, Tara, if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill?" Skeeter asked. "It leaves me free to talk to you normally."

"I don't care what you do," I said honestly.

Skeeter's bitter smile widened. I counted at least three golden teeth. She reached again into her crocodile bag and drew out a long acid-green quill and a roll of parchment, which she stretched out between them on a crate of Mrs. Skower's All Purpose Magical Mess Remover. I arched an eyebrow. They weren't known for writing exactly what was said. She put the tip of the green quill into her mouth, sucked it for a moment with apparent relish, then placed it upright on the parchment, where it stood balanced on its point, quivering slightly.

"Testing. My name is Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter."

I looked down quickly at the quill. The moment Skeeter had spoken, the green quill had started to scribble, skidding across the parchment: Attractive blonde Rita Skeeter, forty-three, whose savage quill has punctured many inflated reputations. I chuckled to myself. I was right about the quill not repeating exactly what the owner had said.

"Lovely," Skeeter said, yet again. She ripped the top piece of parchment off, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into her handbag. Then she leaned toward me and said, "So, Tara, what made you decide to enter the Triwizard Tournament?"

"I didn't," I said plainly.

Skeeter raised one heavily penciled eyebrow. "Come now, Tara, there's no need to be scared of getting into trouble. We all know you shouldn't have entered at all. But don't worry about that. Our readers love a rebel," Skeeter said playfully.

Forgetting myself, I said exactly what was on my mind. "You're an idiot. I didn't enter and I tried to back out but the tournament is a legally binding contract. I can't back out."

"How do you feel about the tasks ahead?" Skeeter asked, ignoring my quip. "Excited? Nervous?"

"I'm fine," I said.

Perhaps if I was boring enough, Skeeter would let me leave. "Champions have died in the past, haven't they?" Skeeter asked briskly. "Have you thought about that at all?"

"I don't care," I said.

Skeeter didn't look happy that she wasn't getting my attention but her next comment changed that. "You have a personal investment with one of the champions, don't you?" Skeeter asked.

"What?" I snapped, looking up at her.

A bitter grin crawled over Skeeter's lips. She was getting exactly what she wanted, a rise out of me. "You and the handsome older champion? You two were together before this, weren't you?" Skeeter asked.

"How do you know that?" I asked slowly.

Was she kidding? There was no way that we were going to talk about Cedric. Skeeter smiled and moved her red glasses down her nose. "Let's have a little bit of girl talk, Tara," Skeeter chirped, leaning into me. I grit my teeth. "How does a completely unremarkable girl catch the eye of a handsome older student? What is that you did to draw him in?"

"None of your goddamn business," I snapped.

"You aren't together any longer, are you?" Skeeter asked.

Skeeter was certainly marvelous at getting a rise out of me. "You're a journalist," I told Skeeter, wishing I hadn't said it. She wasn't much of a writer. "Shouldn't you know that champions can't be romantically linked?"

She smiled nastily at me. "Was it the Triwizard Tournament that ended the relationship?" Skeeter asked slowly. "Or was it perhaps a hesitance for something else?"

My heart lurched into my stomach. "What the hell did you just say to me?" I snarled.

Skeeter chuckled. "Perhaps Mr. Diggory finally realized just how unprepared his girlfriend was."

That was when I finally realized what she was talking about. The same thing so many students in Hogwarts had talked about in the past. My anger once more got the better out of me as I stood up, grabbed a broom cleaning kit and threw it full-force at Skeeter, who let out a piercing scream. I lurched after her but was quickly stopped. Before either of us could do anything, the door of the broom cupboard was pulled open. I looked around, blinking in the bright light. Dumbledore stood there, looking down at both of us, squashed into the cupboard.

"Dumbledore!" Skeeter cried, with every appearance of delight. I noticed that her quill and the parchment had suddenly vanished from the box of Magical Mess Remover, and Rita's clawed fingers were hastily snapping shut the clasp of her crocodile-skin bag. She gave me a frightened look as she jumped to her feet. "You should learn to control your students."

"Perhaps when you learn to control your mouth, Rita," Dumbledore replied.

At least someone was trying to take care of me. "How are you?" Skeeter asked him, standing up and holding out one of her large, mannish hands to Dumbledore. "I hope you saw my piece over the summer about the International Confederation of Wizards' Conference?"

"Enchantingly nasty," Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling. "I particularly enjoyed your description of me as an obsolete dingbat."

Skeeter didn't look remotely abashed. "I was just making the point that some of your ideas are a little old-fashioned, Dumbledore and that many wizards in the street -"

"I will be delighted to hear the reasoning behind the rudeness, Rita, but I'm afraid we will have to discuss the matter later," Dumbledore said, with a courteous bow and a smile. "The Weighing of the Wands is about to start, and it cannot take place if one of our champions is hidden in a broom cupboard. Come, Tara."

Very glad to get away from Skeeter, I hurried back into the room. The other champions were now sitting in chairs near the door, and I sat down quickly in between Cedric and Harry, hooking up at the velvet-covered table, where four of the five judges were now sitting - Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Mr. Crouch, and Ludo Bagman. Skeeter settled herself down in a corner; I saw her slip the parchment out of her bag again, spread it on her knee, suck the end of the Quick-Quotes Quill, and place it once more on the parchment.

Before the conversation started, Cedric leaned toward me and lowered his voice so that only I could hear. "Are you okay? We heard a scream," he said quietly.

"I'm fine," I said, motioning that we would speak later.

The truth was that I wasn't fine. I wasn't even close to being fine. It wasn't just that I was upset with Skeeter. It was something much more. I had never felt the way that I just had before. I had hated people before. Voldemort was the perfect example. I had even had the urge to cause them bodily harm before - namely Gilderoy Lockhart - but I had never come that close. I never felt so much that I could have killed them. Was it just my hatred for Skeeter? Or, was it something more? I had noticed how angry I was lately.

"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?" Dumbledore said, interrupting my thoughts, taking his place at the judges' table and talking to the champions. "He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament."

There was no doubt in my mind that my wand was in perfect working condition but it wasn't the loveliest thing in the world. With everything it had been through it had been battered and bruised. Maybe Mr. Ollivander would find it charming. I looked around and with a jolt of surprise saw an old wizard with large, pale eyes standing quietly by the window. Like Harry and Cedric, I had met Mr. Ollivander before. He was the wand-maker from whom I had bought my wand over three years ago in Diagon Alley.

"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?" Mr. Ollivander asked, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room. Fleur Delacour swept over to Mr. Ollivander and handed him her wand. "Hmm..."

Mr. Ollivander twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted several pink and gold sparks. I rolled my eyes at the prideful look on her face. She was a massive pain in the ass. I figured that I had been her who had helped ruin my reputation over the last few days. Part of it was my fault because of what I had said to her when we had been in the backroom after the Goblet of Fire had spat out my name. Mr. Ollivander twirled the wand again as he held it close to his eyes and examined it carefully.

"Yes," Mr. Ollivander said quietly. "Nine and a half inches... inflexible... rosewood... and containing... dear me..."

"An 'air from ze 'ead of a Veela. One of my grandmuzzer's," Fleur said proudly.

So, Fleur was part Veela. Bitch... "Yes, yes, I've never used Veela hair myself, of course," Mr. Ollivander said. "I find it makes for rather temperamental wands... however, to each his own, and if this suits you."

"So, she is a Veela?" I muttered to Harry.

"Wait until I tell -"

Harry stopped long enough that I realized he wanted to tell Ron. "Sorry, Harry," I whispered.

He shrugged. Mr. Ollivander ran his fingers along the edge of the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps. Then he muttered, "Orchideous!" and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand tip. "Very well, very well, it's in fine working order." Mr. Ollivander scooped up the flowers and handed them to Fleur with her wand. "Mr. Diggory, you next."

Fleur glided back to her seat, smiling at Cedric as he passed her. "Watch it," I hissed.

My heart skipped a beat as Cedric reached under the table and took my hand. I smirked at Fleur. "Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it?" Mr. Ollivander asked, with much more enthusiasm as Cedric handed over his wand. "Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn. Must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches... ash... pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition. You treat it regularly?"

"Polished it last night," Cedric said, grinning.

I rolled my eyes and muttered under her breath, "Nerd."

Cedric tightened his grip on my hand and shot me a playful scowl. I winked at him. He released my hand as Mr. Ollivander continued to look over Cedric's wand. It was the best-kept wand I had ever seen. I looked down at my wand. Suddenly I realized just how awful it looked. I could see finger marks all over it. I gathered a fistful of robe from my knee and tried to rub it clean surreptitiously. Several gold sparks shot out of the end of it. Fleur Delacour gave him a very patronizing look and he desisted.

Mr. Ollivander sent a stream of silver smoke rings across the room from the tip of Cedric's wand, pronounced himself satisfied, and then said, "Mr. Krum if you please."

Viktor Krum got up and slouched, round-shouldered and duck-footed, toward Mr. Ollivander. I couldn't understand how someone who was that clumsy could be one of the greatest professional Quidditch players of all time. He looked like he was about to collapse. How had he done that incredible stunt on his broom just a few weeks ago? Viktor Krum thrust out his wand and stood scowling with his hands in the pockets of his robes. I raised my eyebrows at him as he stepped back.

"Hmm, this is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken?" Mr. Ollivander asked, without looking to Krum for confirmation. "A fine wand-maker, though the styling is never quite what I... however..." He lifted the wand and examined it minutely, turning it over and over before his eyes. "Yes... Hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" Krum nodded. "Rather thicker than one usually sees... quite rigid... ten and a quarter inches. Avis!"

Gregorovitch was known for being a rough wand-maker. His wands were never the most attractive creations in the world but they were always strong. They were hard to damage. The hornbeam wand let off a blast like a gun, and several small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the watery sunlight. I jumped slightly at the reaction of the wand.

"Good," Mr. said Ollivander, handing Krum back his wand. "Miss Nox?"

"Here you are," I said.

Mr. Ollivander smiled as he took my wand. "How could I forget? One of my most prized wands... Fifteen inches, Thestral tail-hair core. Made from Elder wood," Mr. Ollivander said.

I'd almost forgotten about that... I noticed every head in the room whip toward me. I had never mentioned that my wand was made from Elder wood. I had never known how people would react to it. They had long legacies and everyone knew the tale of the true Elder Wand. I looked at Cedric and gave a weak shrug. He looked shocked. Mr. Ollivander raised the wand and gave it a wave. The powerful wind shot from the wand with some sparks, shoving everyone back against their chairs. Mr. Ollivander smiled as he handed me the wand back.

"Still in perfect condition," Mr. Ollivander said. I smiled. "Which leaves Mr. Potter." Harry got to his feet and walked past Krum to Mr. Ollivander. He handed over his wand. "Ah, yes." Mr. Ollivander's pale eyes were suddenly gleaming. "Yes, yes, yes. How well I remember."

It was a strange conversation that we'd had with Mr. Ollivander during that trip to Diagon Alley. I exchanged a look with Harry and smiled. It was his first step into the Wizarding World. Mr. Ollivander spent much longer examining Harry's wand than anyone else's. Except for mine, perhaps. Eventually, however, he made a fountain of wine shoot out of it and handed the wand back to Harry, announcing that it was still in perfect condition.

"Thank you all," Dumbledore said, standing up at the judges' table. "You may go back to your lessons now - or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end."

"Something had to go right for us today," I told Harry as we stood.

There weren't many good things that had happened today. Everyone hated me, Snape had nearly killed me, and I had almost gotten myself expelled. Though, it did appear that my relationship with Cedric may have been on the mend. Harry laughed as we stood with the others. Feeling that at last something good had happened for me, I turned with Harry to leave, but the man with the black camera jumped up and cleared his throat.

"Photos, Dumbledore, photos!" Bagman cried excitedly. "All the judges and champions, what do you think, Rita?"

Shit... "Oh, yes, let's do those first," Skeeter said, whose eyes were upon Harry again. "And then perhaps some individual shots."

Meaning that she only wanted a photo of Harry. The rest of us would all be in the background while Skeeter focused on Harry and pretend that the rest of us didn't exist. The photographs took a long time. Long enough that we would be late for dinner. Madame Maxime cast everyone else into shadow wherever she stood and the photographer couldn't stand far enough back to get her into the frame; eventually she had to sit while everyone else stood around her. She didn't look happy about that.

Karkaroff kept twirling his goatee around his finger to give it an extra curl. I thought it made him look creepier. Krum, whom I would have thought would have been used to this sort of thing, skulked, half-hidden, at the back of the group. The photographer seemed keenest to get Fleur at the front, but Skeeter kept hurrying forward and dragging Harry into greater prominence. I hung at the edge with Cedric, the two of us nudging each other playfully throughout the shoot. Then Skeeter insisted on separate shots of all the champions. At last, we were free to go.

Harry and I were the first to get up to go. We were about to leave the room when I was stopped by Cedric's arm around my bicep. "What happened in there? We all heard the shout," Cedric said quietly.

"Oh, Skeeter had some less-than-flattering things to say about me. About us, actually," I muttered awkwardly.

"What did she have to say about us?" Cedric asked curiously.

"Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to know," I said, feeling my cheeks warm up with embarrassment. "Just don't be surprised when you see some unpleasant things said about us in the Prophet. I'm sure it won't be nice, considering I kind of went off on her."

Cedric's eyes quirked curiously. "Describe 'went off on her'."

"I threw a broom cleaning kit at her," I muttered dumbly.

Cedric chuckled. "You've got a temper, Miss Nox." I gave Cedric a long look as I rolled my eyes. "But you've got good aim. Check out Skeeter's forehead." I looked at Skeeter's head and realized that she did have a knot forming on her forehead. I barked out a laugh as Cedric nudged my arm. "It's one of the many things I like about you," he said.

"And the others?" I asked.

Cedric gave me a hopeful look. "That you're a forgiving person?" Cedric asked. "Even when the other one doesn't deserve it?"

He briefly moved his hand past mine as he rested it on my hip. I smiled at him as I leaned up on my tiptoes and pressed my mouth against his ear. "Earn it," I whispered playfully.

"How do I do that?" Cedric asked, turning his head into my throat.

As he pulled away we exchanged a wicked grin. "You'll come up with something tomorrow night, I'm sure," I teased, winking at him.

"Mr. Diggory, Miss Nox, I'm sure I don't have to remind you of the rules?" Bagman called.

"No, Mr. Bagman," Cedric replied, stepping backward.

"Of course not. I know them," I said loudly. I lowered my voice as I passed Cedric, running a hand gently against his fingers. "I just don't care."

Cedric chuckled as I walked up to Harry. "That looked... happy," Harry commented slowly.

It was impossible to stop the blush that came to my cheeks. "Yeah, it was." I noticed that Harry looked happy for me but still appeared depressed. Of course. He was still focused on Ron. "I'm sorry, Harry," I said quietly.

"Don't be, I'm happy for you," Harry said.

"Thanks. Don't worry, Ron will get over it. It just might take a little time," I said honestly.

"We'll see," Harry muttered.

Harry and I went down to dinner after. Hermione wasn't there. I supposed she was still in the hospital wing having her teeth fixed. I didn't speak much during dinner, instead, spending the meal making eyes at Cedric. My friends thought I was still angry at the conversations going on all around us. I knew they were trying to figure out why I looked spacey and not angry tonight. Harry and I ate alone at the end of the table, then returned to Gryffindor Tower. I knew that I was staggering around in a stupid trance.

As we walked into the Common Room, Harry sent me a vague smile. "Go dream about your boyfriend."

It wasn't fair for him to still be miserable. "Harry -"

"Go ahead, Tara," Harry said, smiling as he nudged me away from him. "Seriously. One of us should be happy."

"We'll spend the weekend together, yeah?" I offered.

"Not like we have many other choices," Harry joked.

I laughed. "Yeah."

We exchanged a quick hug as I turned and walked back up to my dormitory. I was glad to see that it was empty. I figured that it was because Lavender and Parvati were still at dinner. It was fine with me. I didn't want to be forced to talk to them. They were aggravating. I didn't want to see Fay's gazes of pity either. I figured that Hermione was still in the hospital wing, strange as she had been gone most of the day. Tomorrow I would have to go check on her to make sure we were okay. It surprised me when Fay walked into the room a few minutes later.

"Tara, Harry's asking if you can come to see him for a moment," Fay said. "He went back to his room."

"Oh, sure. Thanks," I told her.

Something interesting had to have happened. Why else would Harry have called me to come to see him after we had only been apart for a few minutes? I stood from the bed and smiled weakly at Fay as I walked out of my dormitory and headed out toward the main hallway. I turned and headed up toward the boy's dormitory and entered Harry's without knocking. He had just gotten up from the bed and strode over to a barn owl that was sitting on his ledge. He took a letter off its leg and unrolled it.

"What's up? Didn't we say goodbye just a few minutes ago?" I teased.

Harry chuckled. "I got Sirius's answer."

"What?" I gasped, sprinting over the bed and stumbling into Harry. "Read it!"

 _"Harry & Tara,_

 _"I can't say everything I would like to in a letter, it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted - the three of us need to talk face-to-face. Can you ensure that you two are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd of November?_

 _"I know better than anyone that you both can look after yourselves and while you're around Dumbledore and Moody I don't think anyone will be able to hurt either one of you. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you both in that tournament would have been very risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose._

 _"Be on the watch, the both of you. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Let me know about the 22nd of November as quickly as you can._

 _"Sirius."_

Not good. This was not good. We had to stop Sirius from coming to Hogwarts. "He can't be mad enough to sneak back into Hogwarts just to chat with us?" Harry asked.

Was he planning on strolling into the Gryffindor Common Room? There was no way. He had almost been caught the last time. "I'm not sure what he's thinking. But I know Sirius well enough to know that he's not planning on getting caught ever again," I said, taking Harry's hand and giving him a reassuring nod. Now we had one more thing to worry about.

 ** **A/N:**** _ ** **Next time...****_ _ _Tara and Cedric face another roadblock in their relationship while Harry and Tara get to chat with their godfather again and learn what they will be facing during the First Task.__ It's been a while but here we are! From here Tara and Harry's stories will begin to diverge. I know you guys have been looking forward to that. As always, thanks for the hearts and sweet comments! Stay safe out there, everyone! ****Please review!**** Until next time -A

 **Vincent FGS91: Well, I hope that's a good damn! Yes, I couldn't stop from expanding the rulebook. I love drama! Well, thank you! That's high praise! The Fantastic Beasts films are okay in my opinion. I like the actors but the story could be stronger. I hope you liked this one!**

 **Marnie Quiera: Well, thank you! McGonagall loves Tara, even if she'll never admit it. You are absolutely correct about that. Tara can essentially do no wrong in Cedric's eyes. They are polar opposites and I think that's part of what makes them so good together. They balance each other out. I agree, Tara and Fred are much more similar and would likely be very good together. They could match each other. They're going to be getting much closer in this story! You're right! Harry and Marcus are cut from the same cloth. Don't be sorry, I love rambles!**

 **Ghostie1701: I'm so glad you thought she was funny! She would make a good lawyer. I'm glad you enjoyed the way she stepped in. I don't want her to sit things out. I want her to step in and take charge - or try to. I hope you enjoy where I take things in the next few chapters! Marcus will be back soon. Thank you for reading!**

 **Guest: I'm not sure exactly what you thought your reviews would accomplish, I'm sure you're just a troll so I guess I appreciate you taking the time to read. That's all I have to say.**

 **Shannon: I'm glad you liked Tara's aggressiveness! I love those kinds of girls too and I couldn't resist making Tara one lol.**

 **Andrea: Oh, I don't worry about it. For each story you write there will always be people who don't like it. I just appreciate the people who do enjoy the story.**

 **Mel: Thank you! The rude comments don't concern me. I appreciate everyone who reads the story and enjoys it.**

 **Pippa: Thank you!**

 **Syl: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it took a while to get out!**

 **guest 34: You would predict correctly. Cedric helped keep Tara in line and her natural temperament is coming out without him around her all the time. She would have done well with the Marauders! I do enjoy vulgarity but I recognize that I have some younger readers so I'm trying to keep it as minimal as possible while getting the point across. She will absolutely grow closer to Fred in this story. It's funny, I get such conflicting desires toward Cedric from people. Some want him dead and others will be heartbroken if I do kill him. Yes, I don't think I've seen him survive many stories. Oof, killing her parents. That would be** ** _harsh_** **. But effective. It's sweet that you say Cedric is endgame! Tara's well on her way with that lol. I'll definitely have a Cedric P.O.V. in the story soon. Draco's another character that polarizes people. Relationships are tough!**

 **Arlene: Oh, she's definitely out! And she's not going away anytime soon either.**

 **Guest: You are correct! We're going to see a slightly different side of Tara in the coming chapters. She's always been rebellious but we're going to see that pushed to the limit. Tara's going to lean on the twins a lot as they will still be there for her. Fred does deserve a lot of credit. He takes care of Tara all the time. She's going to start recognizing that soon. There's going to be a lot of angst at least in the first half of the tournament for a few different reasons.**

 **slyqueen: I like that idea too! Although I think Tara's idea of a prank would be a little on the vicious side. Well, I understand your disappointment. I knew not everyone would agree with my choice to put her in the tournament but I did have a good reason. I hope this chapter restored a bit of your faith! Sorry for the long delay. I hope this was worth it!**


	20. The Norwegian Ridgeback

The prospect of talking face-to-face with Sirius was all that sustained me over the next fortnight, the only bright spot on a horizon that had never looked darker. The shock of finding myself school champion had worn off slightly now and the fear of what was facing me had started to sink in. The First Task was drawing steadily nearer and I felt as though it were crouching ahead of me like some horrific monster, barring my path. I had had all kinds of horrific nightmares about what the First Task could have been.

I'd chatted a bit with Hermione over the last few weeks about what the First Task would be. My best idea had been an obstacle course type of event. Hermione had thought that I could have been correct but believed that an obstacle course wouldn't be interesting enough. She said that it seemed too plain. It seemed like something a teacher could assign an upper level as a final exam. Unless they put something in the obstacle course that could have killed us, it didn't seem likely that that was what we would be facing.

My other thought had been some type of race but I knew that something like that would include mandatory running and likely broom riding. Hermione had been correct again in saying that there would be unfair advantages. Krum was a professional Quidditch player and every other champion was an athlete. Harry, Cedric, and I were on our House Quidditch teams and athletic people. Fleur was the only one of us who wasn't. In the back of my mind, I knew that the First Task would be something I would never expect and it would be extremely difficult.

Though I had been nervous about plenty of things before, I had never suffered nerves like these. These were something different. They were way beyond anything I had experienced before a Quidditch match, not even our last one against Slytherin, which had decided who would win the Quidditch Cup. I hadn't even felt nervous like this before my first date or kiss with Cedric. I was finding it hard to think about the future at all; I felt as though my whole life had been heading up to, and would finish with, the First Task.

Admittedly, I didn't see how Sirius was going to make me feel any better about having to perform an unknown piece of difficult and dangerous magic in front of hundreds of people, most of who weren't my biggest fans, but the mere sight of a friendly face would be something at the moment. I was terrified of the upcoming First Task but I was looking forward to seeing my godfather. I missed him more than I was expecting. Harry had written back to Sirius saying that we would be beside the Common Room fire at the time Sirius had suggested.

Harry, Hermione, and I spent a long time going over plans for forcing any stragglers out of the Common Room on the night in question. If the worst came to the worst, we were going to drop a bag of Dungbombs, but we hoped we wouldn't have to resort to that - Filch would skin us alive. Luckily for me, I had some extra assistance. Without questioning my motives, Fred had promised me that he would keep Filch away from our end of the castle at night. I hadn't asked how he was planning that as I was fairly certain I didn't want to know.

One of the only good things that had happened to me in the last few days was when I had received a letter from Remus. It came as a bit of a surprise as it had been quite a few weeks since I'd written to him. I'd almost forgotten about my letter. The letter had come early one morning and I had, unfortunately, had to leave it until the night. The moment I had come back from class I had darted into my bedroom and taken the letter from its hiding spot in my drawer, drawn the curtains around my bed, and slit open the letter.

 _Tara,_

 _My apologies for the delay. I've been on the move for the past few weeks and it's been hard to stay in one place. I've been well and in contact with your parents. I haven't attempted to find any new work. Since Severus let out the truth of my condition I figure that it won't be easy for me to find another position so quickly. Not to fear, I have plenty of money stored away and a place to go. I promise that I will visit all of you soon._

 _Yes, I do know Alastor. In fact, I wrote him a letter not long after I learned that he would be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to let him know what your classmates had learned this past year. I've yet to hear back from Alastor but he hasn't always been the easiest person to talk to. I will write to him again and let you know if I hear back._

 _Alastor has always had an odd way of explaining himself. I do agree that him showing your class the Unforgivable Curses is inappropriate. That's far beyond what any professor should feel comfortable doing. Yes, performing the Unforgivable Curses usually requires the performer to feel some kind of anger or hatred, but those feelings can be easy to pull to the surface for some people._

 _As concerned as I may be, Alastor is a good man with a good track record. I will reach out to him again._

 _Tara, I heard about what happened in the Triwizard Tournament. I've spoken with Sirius on the matter. I know that you and Harry did not put your names in the Goblet of Fire. That means someone else did. Be careful. Both of you. This wasn't done as a joke. Someone is betting on you both getting hurt. Keep your eyes out for anything odd and take care of each other._

 _I'll see you both soon.  
Remus_

My relief at finally receiving a response from Remus hadn't lasted long. His letter had bothered me more than I was expecting. I had almost forgotten about my hatred of Moody over the last few weeks because of the anticipation from the tournament. It did, however, make me feel better that Remus would be taking that issue into his own hands. What bothered me more was that another person thought Harry and I were entered into the Triwizard Tournament because they wanted to see us get hurt. It didn't make me feel any better about what was coming.

In the meantime, life became even worse for me within the confines of the castle. The brief moment of reprieve I had gotten from my brief conversation with Cedric during the Weighing of the Wands had passed. Things hadn't gotten better. Somehow, things had gotten worse. Much worse, as Rita Skeeter had published her piece about the Triwizard Tournament. It had turned out to be not so much a report on the tournament as a highly colored life story of Harry and a gossip column of my personal life.

Much of the front page had been given over to a picture of Harry. I wasn't surprised to see that Skeeter hadn't used any of the group pictures for the cover of the article. The article (continuing on pages two, six, and seven) had been all about Harry and myself. The names of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions (misspelled) had been squashed into the last line of the article. Cedric was only mentioned in relation to me. I wished he had been left completely out of the article; I was positive he felt the same way.

While the portion on Harry was embarrassing and pathetic, it paled in comparison to the piece that Skeeter had written about me. Skeeter had dedicated an entire page of the article to me and not a single word that was written was kind. I had known before the article came out that I would have hell to pay for throwing the broom cleaning kit at Skeeter - I hadn't expected a glowing review from Skeeter - but what she had decided to say about me was worse than I had been expecting.

The article had appeared ten days ago now, and I still got a sick, burning feeling of shame in my stomach every time I thought about it. Those ten days had already felt like ten years. I couldn't imagine being in the castle for another eight months with that article circulating. If I had thought I was ill-tempered before the article came out, it was nothing compared to how I was reacting now. Rita Skeeter had reported me saying an awful lot of things that I couldn't remember ever saying in my life, let alone in that broom cupboard.

Apparently, I had said, "Yes, having to separate from Cedric was one of the hardest things I had ever done. It was his choice, you know. I've always been known for bending the rules and I wouldn't have minded continuing in secret, but... well, if it's just between us? He had already gotten what he wanted. There was no point in fighting for something he'd already gotten."

But Rita Skeeter had gone even further than transforming my profane rant into long, sickly sentences: She had interviewed other people about me too. Cedric's best friends Ted Montgomery and Michael Conner said that Cedric liked to tell all his friends about our trysts together, laughing over just how easy it had been to get me with him. My longtime classmate Pansy Parkinson said that I had been going after Draco Malfoy for years to no avail and had settled with Cedric. Not to mention that I was now trying to steal Harry Potter from bookworm Hermione Granger.

According to an anonymous Ravenclaw student, I was known for going after men who were already taken - Cedric Diggory, Harry Potter, and Draco Malfoy at the top of that list. According to the anonymous student (one of Cho Chang's friends, I was positive), Cedric had already had his eyes set on another female student when I had swooped in, offering what the other girl would have made him work for. I had evidently had a casual relationship with Harry Potter for years and my supposed fury with Draco Malfoy? The tension that was building on my part from a refusal on his.

 _The morning after the Weighing of the Wands, I was sitting on my bed, smiling like an idiot at the ceiling. Maybe I was getting back together with Cedric after all. He clearly wanted us to be together. He had said so last night. My stomach was bubbling with anticipation, the same way it had before our first date. No one had to know. We could keep our relationship secret for a few months. We had done it before, after all. The door to the dormitory opened and I glanced up. The other girls had already gone to breakfast. Hermione was standing in the doorway, looking very pale._

 _She looked like she was about to be sick. "Hey," I chirped. Hermione didn't respond. Her hands were knotted behind her back as she walked forward, closing the door behind her. "You look like you killed someone."_

 _"Don't shoot the messenger," she replied nervously._

 _"What are you talking about?" I asked dumbly._

 _Hermione walked up to the edge of my bed and handed over the Daily Prophet that she had been hanging onto. It was a little surprising, as she didn't normally read the paper. I took it with a sigh. Skeeter's article would be out and I knew that it wouldn't be positive. The front page was a massive picture of Harry and I snorted. Naturally. I scanned the article quickly but stopped on the last page. The page that said that I had given myself to Cedric and he had laughed about it. The page that said no boy at Hogwarts wanted me now. The page that said I was too easy. There was no chase with me._

 _The article fell from my limp hand as my throat tightened with tears._ _I looked up at Hermione with glassy eyes. "Where did you get this?" I asked, my voice breaking._

 _I could intercept the paper before it went into widespread print. "They're all over the school," Hermione said slowly._

 _My heart dropped into my stomach. "Oh, my..." I gasped._

 _Everyone would have seen it. All of my friends and the people who hated me. My family would have seen it. My friends back in the States would have seen it. Sirius and Remus would see it. I knew that Skeeter hadn't liked me and I knew that I had deserved a bit of a scathing commentary for what I had done to her, but I didn't deserve_ this _. I was fifteen. How had anyone allowed this to be printed? How had the teachers let the story run across the school? It was vile. My heart pounded against my ribs as I crumpled the paper in my hands._

 _Hermione reached over and laid a hand on my leg. "Tara, don't engage. Sit here and take some time to calm down. Let this thing blow over. Don't go down there and make a scene," Hermione insisted._

 _What was the point in not making a scene? The article would make me even more of a laughing stock? I may as well have given them a real reason to talk. "Everyone's talking about it," I said, knowing that I was telling the truth._ _Hermione hesitated, with a guilty look in her eyes. I raised my voice slightly. "Aren't they?"_

 _Hermione jumped and whispered, "Yes." Burning hatred settling in my chest, I sprang off the bed. It was breakfast time. He would be downstairs and we needed to have a conversation. I didn't care who heard this time. Hermione sprang up behind me, grabbing for my arm. "Don't go! Stay up here with me!"_

 _She stumbled slightly as I threw her off of me. I stormed to the door and slammed it in her face, knowing that it would slow her down before she could get to me. All she would do would try to stop me and I wasn't letting that happen. If they were all laughing there was nothing I could do to stop that. But I could try and scare them too. And I needed to know the truth. I stormed downstairs and into the Common Room without changing from my pajamas. There were many chuckles and jeers thrown my way as I walked toward the Fat Lady's portrait._

 _At least twenty copies of the Prophet were sitting on the floor and I made a point to walk over them. There were some hoots and howls along with some profane offers from older boys I had never spoken to before. Mortified from what had happened and furious with their reactions, I continued on my warpath, my blood boiling as I walked. I headed downstairs, ignoring the laughs and jeers from the students who passed. They were all holding copies of the Daily Prophet. I was already seeing red as I planned to head right for Cedric. I needed to know if he had really said it, even on accident._

 _Cedric Diggory, the first Hogwarts champion and ex-boyfriend of fellow champion Tara Nox puts it best: "Tara has always bent the rules. I wasn't surprised at all by her name coming out the goblet." And when asked about their time spent together in private? "Well, Tara never has been one to hide what she does at night. You can figure out the truth on your own."_

 _It didn't sound like something he would have said, but I couldn't process it into proper thought. I needed to know. I needed to know if he had been joking with a friend and she had twisted his words. I stormed down the entrance hall toward the Great Hall when I was cut off by Fred and George Weasley. They both looked shocked to see me. Fred was the first one to reach out to stop me from moving forward. I tried to shove past them but they caught me around the waist, worried looks on both of their faces._

 _"Tara, whatever you're thinking, don't do it," George warned._

 _"It's not going to work out well," Fred added._

 _"I don't care. Move," I snapped._

 _The twins reached out for me again as I slammed past them. I heard them following me as I stormed into the Great Gall, where the conversations died immediately. Everyone was holding one of the papers. I could see the second-page picture that was zoomed in on Cedric and me. We had been playfully nudging each other in the photograph because we were bored, but in the version Skeeter had published, it looked like his hand was positioned firmly on my ass, only helping fuel the rumors._ That's _why they all believed the paper. My face burned with embarrassment._

 _My head whipped toward the Hufflepuff table. Cedric was sitting with most of his friends. The same ones who had said such awful things about me and our relationship. My blood boiled again as I heard him asking what they were all laughing at. He tried to reach over and take the paper but his friends pulled it away. If he wanted to know what they were hiding, I would show him. I stormed up to their table and threw the paper onto the table in front of Cedric. His head snapped up as he stared at me. A vague smile crossed his lips._

 _"Tara -"_

 _"Did you say that?" I interrupted._

 _He seemed to finally realize that I didn't look happy. I wasn't smiling. I was furious. My anger was the only thing keeping me from crying, which would likely come after this. My snap had echoed all across the Great Hall. No teachers were in the hall this early in the morning. They wouldn't be in for at least another few minutes, giving me the perfect opportunity to do this. Any conversations that hadn't ended when I'd first walked into the Great Hall had died now. That vague grin was wiped off Cedric's face in an instant._

 _"Tara..." Cedric whispered nervously. His voice had lowered to the point of a whisper as he looked down at the paper. He scanned our portion of the article quickly before he looked back up at me, his face far paler than it had been a moment before. "You can't believe I said that."_

 _Maybe not, but I knew who had. "And what about them?" I snapped, motioning to his friends._

 _Cedric turned a heated glare on his friends. They grinned up at me. "Come on, Tara," Ted said slowly._

 _"It was just a joke," Michael added._

 _They were both grinning at me playfully. My stomach bubbled with hatred. I'd thought we could at least get along, but what the hell was this? "Yeah, that was a really funny joke," I sneered, hoping the trembling of my voice wasn't too obvious._

 _"What the hell did you two do?" Cedric asked his friends sharply._

 _They were still laughing. "Fuck you both." There was some scattered laughter and comments about my language. Even Cedric's friends looked surprised at my language. I turned to the rest of the Great Hall with a scowl. "And all the rest of you!" I shouted._

 _My voice bounced around the hall. "You already played that game, Tara, and you lost," a Hufflepuff boy at the end of the table shouted, standing up._

 _Laughter rang out in the Great Hall. I heard multiple comments and insults being shot my way from every table - even Gryffindor. I could feel the tears building in my eyes again as I turned to walk away. This wasn't getting me anywhere. I was just making myself look worse. In a few minutes, I was sure to lose my temper. "Tara, please wait, I want to talk," Cedric said, standing and taking my arm in his hands._

 _I ripped myself out of his grasp, stumbling back a few steps. "Get off me! Don't touch me," I sneered weakly, my voice containing a very obvious quiver. A lone tear rolled down my cheek as the people nearest me continued laughing. I looked back at Cedric with misty eyes. "Hang out with your fucking friends."_

 _Cedric looked broken-hearted. "Tara, please -"_

 _"Run off, Nox," came the high-pitched, nasally voice of Pansy Parkinson. I glanced over at her and scowled. She was just about the last person I wanted to be near right now. "You've got nothing left to give him."_

 _My chest burned with searing hatred. I may not have had anything left to give him but there was something I still had in me. "That's fair," I said as calmly as possible, turning to look at Parkinson. "But I've got one last thing to give you."_

 _Any worries about getting in trouble had long since left my mind. I didn't care what they did to me. I reared back and slapped Pansy across the face as hard as I possibly could. The crack across her face echoed across the Great Hall. I grinned as the ring that I had been wearing on my thumb (a present from my parents) had been turned slightly inward on accident and the gem sliced across her cheek. Parkinson fell back in shock as I launched after her. The gathering crowd jeered as they jumped to their feet and I slammed Parkinson against the Slytherin table._

 _By now I could see some teachers running in our direction. It didn't stop me from continuing in my tirade. "Why don't you ask your boyfriend who he really dreams about in the middle of the night, huh?" I sneered at Parkinson. She looked shocked as quiet whispers bounced all around us. "Because it's certainly not you!" I turned to meet Malfoy's stunned eyes. I grinned again as I looked back at her. "Want to know how many times he's offered to leave you?"_

 _"Bitch!" Parkinson gasped._

 _I wasn't sure where I was going with things, but I knew I wasn't done. "Nox, enough!" Professor McGonagall called warningly._

 _Her hands grabbed onto my robes to try and pull me back but I yanked out of her grasp. Many students at the other table were chuckling at my anger. "Go on, have a good laugh!" I shouted. "I'm sick of this place!"_

 _"Tara." The Great Hall fell silent at the appearance of Professor Dumbledore. My grip on Parkinson relaxed slightly. "Please go with Professor McGonagall. Take a moment and calm down. As for the rest of you, I believe breakfast would be best had in your Common Rooms. Off you scamper," Dumbledore said calmly._

 _There was no chatter as the students grabbed their breakfasts and began moving out of the Great Hall. No one was going to dare ignore him. I released Parkinson and stepped back. I tried to hold my head high as I turned and walked away from the Slytherin table. Cedric was on his feet and staring right at me. He looked heartbroken as he turned and shot his friends a scowl. He reached out for me as I walked past but I couldn't be near him right now. I didn't want to be near anyone. I shoved his chest and he stumbled into his table as I sped up to practically run from the Great Hall._

 _It wasn't before I could hear Cedric say, "What the hell did you two do?"_

 _Professor McGonagall laid a hand on my back and gently nudged me along the hallway. As we made our way to her office, Professor McGonagall looked like she actually felt bad for what had happened to me. I was surprised to see she didn't look even slightly angry. I was sure it was because of the guilt that she took things so easy on me. Far more than I deserved. I only managed to get myself five night's detention scrubbing the classrooms by myself. It was nothing compared to what I deserved for the scene in the Great Hall and the way I had physically attacked Parkinson._

My scene in the Great Hall was the only time I had taken things that far. Beyond that, I had mostly stuck to snapping at people and shouting profanities from afar. Nothing more severe than getting a few points taken away from Gryffindor. I hadn't had any detentions since Professor McGonagall had given me the five nights for attacking Parkinson. From the moment the article had appeared in the _Daily Prophet_ , I had had to endure people - Slytherin's and Hufflepuff's, mainly - quoting it at me as I passed and making sneering comments.

"How about the same show Diggory got, Nox? Come on! We can make a line."

"Cedric must have finally realized that you weren't that impressive, Nox. Must hurt, doesn't it?"

"Tara!"

"Yeah, that's right!" I found myself shouting as I wheeled around in the corridor, having had just about enough. "I've just been meeting up for a midday rendezvous in the broom cupboard. Get in line, asshole."

I'd had all sorts of creative insults on the tip of my tongue but they died when I realized that I was standing face-to-face with Fred Weasley, not a rude older student. "Can I take you up on that offer?" Fred teased.

"I thought you were -"

"I know. I just thought you needed a hug."

We were the only two people in the hallway. "I need to get out of here," I said quietly, looking around for a nook I could hide in.

"Come here," Fred offered.

If there was ever anyone I could trust to be there for me all the time, it was Fred. We stared at each other for a few moments. I wasn't going to cry but I could feel my throat tightening with the threat of tears. Fred grabbed me from my shoulder blades and pulled me up against him. I let out a dry sob as quietly as I could as I stepped into him. Fred kept my head tucked into his chest as he rested his chin at the edge of my forehead. We remained locked together for a few moments as Fred leaned down and pressed a kiss against the top of my head.

We hadn't spoken since the article had debuted, but I knew he had wanted to. He had given me quite a few looks over the last week and a half. I had ignored them, not wanting to snap at him. "You don't believe it?" I asked, pulling away.

Fred chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course not. No one that knows you believe it," he explained. I let out a little breath. It seemed that the entire school believed it. "Although, they all think you're a little homicidal now."

I let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah. I guess I kind of made myself look like an ass, didn't I?" I asked.

Fred shrugged. "You didn't say anything that people didn't deserve. Tara, people can only take so much before they snap. You had every right to say and do what you did."

"Not the way I did," I muttered guiltily. Parkinson was a bitch but she hadn't deserved what I'd done to her. "Harry hasn't gone off on anyone like that."

"You can admit it. You got off way worse than he did," Fred said.

"Differently, I'd say."

Sure, I looked like a joke, but Harry hadn't gotten off easily either. He looked as pathetic as I did, just for a different reason. "Hey, you know you can always talk to me, right?" Fred asked. I nodded. "If you need another midnight therapy session in the Common Room, let me know. I'll always be there for you."

I chuckled. "Maybe I'll take you up on that. Freddie?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean what you said the other day? Did you mean that Cedric should have known how lucky he was to have me?" I asked.

It felt a little pathetic to ask him that, but I needed to know if he had meant it. "Of course. And he wants you, Tara. I know you're hurt, but it wasn't Diggory. He didn't say anything to that snake of a woman. His friends were playing a joke," Fred explained. He must have seen the scowl on my face because he continued quickly. "One made in very poor taste. Diggory's furious with them. He's trying to find a way back to you. I know you well enough to know that's what you want."

"Every time I go back to him I get hurt," I muttered.

People had teased Cedric but they hadn't said anything nearly as horrible to him as they had to me. "Is he worth it?" Fred asked slowly.

There was something strange in his eyes but I couldn't place it. I didn't respond to Fred for a long time. My immediate thought was that Fred was worth it. He was worth so much. I wanted to tell Fred that he was worth all of the pain I had faced over the last few weeks but I couldn't be positive. Not after all the harassment I had dealt with. Was anything worth that much nastiness? I wanted to be with Cedric but I needed time and I needed to calm down and lose the nasty attitude I had before speaking with him.

Just as I was about to ask Fred how I was supposed to move forward, a voice echoed through the hall. "Mr. Weasley. Miss Nox," Professor Flitwick called. Fred and I looked up, smiling at our Charms teacher. "Time for class, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir," I said, smiling as Professor Flitwick nodded at us and walked off. Once he was gone, I turned back to Fred. "Thanks, Freddie."

If there was one person I could always count on to treat me the same, no matter what was going on, it was Fred. Having him tease me when everything was going to hell had always made me feel better. It made me feel like things had a chance to go back to normal. Not that things had even come close to being that way. I was so far from my normal self that I couldn't even remember what life felt like before I was a Triwizard Tournament champion. All I knew was that I was depressed and angry all the time and it wasn't a feeling I liked.

Harry had gotten his own article about how he got his strength from his parents and hoped they were proud of him and that he still cried over them at night. Skeeter had even reported that Harry had at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey, said that Harry was rarely seen out of the company of one Hermione Granger, a stunningly pretty Muggle-Born girl who, like Harry, was one of the top students in the school. Though, evidently, Tara Nox was attempting to step between their relationship. Like myself, Harry was also yelling at people.

Just earlier in the day, I had seen Harry shout at Cho Chang, who had called out to Harry to say that he had dropped his pen. Harry was still embarrassed about it. Hermione had come in for her fair share of unpleasantness too, but she hadn't yet started yelling at innocent bystanders. I gave her a lot of credit. Hermione was much calmer toward the teasing aimed at her than we were. Though, we were getting it worse. If I were being honest, though, I was full of admiration for the way she was handling the situation.

"Stunningly pretty? Her?" Pansy Parkinson had shrieked the first time she had come face-to-face with Hermione after Skeeter's article had appeared. "What was she judging against - a chipmunk?"

It surprised no one that I was the first to lunge after her. "You want another black eye?" I'd snapped.

The crowd that had gathered to watch laughed as I lunged after Parkinson, who had shrieked and stumbled back as Hermione had grabbed me. "Tara! Ignore it," Hermione said in a dignified voice, holding her head in the air and stalking past the sniggering Slytherin girls as though she couldn't hear them. "Just ignore it, both of you."

But I couldn't ignore it. It didn't help that things with Ron hadn't gotten any better. Neither Harry nor I had had any luck with Ron. Harry hadn't gotten anywhere during their detention. None of the three of us were speaking to each other. Hermione was furious with all of us; she went from one to the other, trying to force us to talk to each other, but Harry and I were adamant: We would talk to Ron again only if Ron admitted that we hadn't put our names in the Goblet of Fire and apologized for calling us liars.

"We didn't start this," Harry said stubbornly. "It's his problem."

"He's been an asshole about this. We might have gotten the fame but we're the laughing stocks of the school!" I shouted.

"You both miss him!" Hermione said impatiently. "And I know he misses you both -"

"Miss him?" Harry asked indignantly. "I don't miss him."

But he did. "If he doesn't believe me and doesn't want to help defend me, I don't miss him one bit," I snapped.

But both of our comments were downright lies. We both liked Hermione very much, she was one of my best friends, but she wasn't the same as Ron or Harry on a normal day. There was much less laughter and a lot more hanging around in the library when Hermione was your best friend. Harry still hadn't mastered Summoning Charms, he seemed to have developed something of a block about them, and Hermione insisted that learning the theory would help. They consequently spent a lot of time poring over books during their lunchtime.

Hermione tried to get me to come along but most of the time I refused, instead, going for lonely walks around the Black Lake. I joined them in the library occasionally though. Viktor Krum was in the library an awful lot too, and I wondered what he was up to. Was he studying, or was he looking for things to help him through the First Task? Hermione often complained about Krum being there - not that he ever bothered us - but because groups of giggling girls often turned up to spy on him from behind bookshelves, and Hermione found the noise distracting.

"He's not even good-looking!" she muttered angrily, glaring at Krum's sharp profile.

"We all know that," I added, watching him walk awkwardly.

"They only like him because he's famous!" Hermione continued. "They wouldn't look twice at him if he couldn't do that Wonky Faint thing -"

"Wronski Feint," Harry said, through gritted teeth.

We exchanged a look long enough to laugh. Hermione may have known more than normal humans about most things, but she didn't know more than the basics when it came to Quidditch. Quite apart from liking to get Quidditch terms correct, it caused me another pang of longing to imagine Ron's expression if he could have heard Hermione talking about Wonky-Faints. It made me miss the days that I could sit back and listen to Ron and Hermione argue about her general lack of Quidditch knowledge.

Desperate to not think about missing Ron, I turned to Hermione and grinned. "I happen to remember Krum giving you a nice look when he first got here," I teased.

"No, he didn't," Hermione snapped, but she was blushing.

It was a strange thing, but when you were dreading something and would have given anything to slow down time, it had a disobliging habit of speeding up. The days until the First Task seemed to slip by as though someone had fixed the clocks to work at double speed. Now that the shock had worn off and my anger was slowly ebbing, the flat-out fear had set in. My feeling of barely controlled panic was now with me wherever I went, as ever-present as the snide comments about the Daily Prophet article.

We were just a few days out from the First Task when I headed downstairs one morning. I was heading into the Great Hall just long enough to get myself breakfast and then leave to eat by myself in the isolated courtyard. All eyes turned toward me as I grabbed an apple and turned to leave, ignoring the eyes. I was about to head outside when I was stopped by something. Rita Skeeter was entering the courtyard, talking to an older male student. My stomach bubbled with anger. I knew I was about to get in trouble, but I went for it anyway.

Storming out of the entrance hall, I moved into the courtyard. "You evil bitch!" I howled. The entrance hall and courtyard fell silent as the students looked up to see what was about to happen. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Skeeter turned to smile at me, but I saw the quiver in her step. "Tara," she greeted. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"How about I help you? God, how twisted can one person be?" I snarled, walking up to her. I didn't miss her stagger back a few steps. "You're spreading rumors about the sex life of a fifteen-year-old?"

Skeeter's face broke into a nasty grin. "I only repeat what others tell me."

"Please, you goaded them into it. You knew that what they were telling you wasn't true. You knew that they were messing with me and you went along with it!" I shouted.

Skeeter's eyes glittered playfully as she lowered her voice and said, "See what happens when little girls play with fire?"

"Oh, you want to see a fire?" I asked. Skeeter didn't realize what I was saying until it was too late. " _Incendio!"_

I'd whipped out my wand so quickly that Skeeter hadn't gotten a chance to react. My wand lit up with flames that shot out toward Skeeter's robes and lit them ablaze. She screamed in panic as she stumbled back. "Nox!" Professor McGonagall shrieked. "What have you done?"

"What no one else was willing to do," I said simply.

" _Aguamenti!_ " Snape's voice called.

Water shot out from Snape's wand and doused Skeeter. Many of the students in the courtyard were laughing at her burned robes and the makeup now running down her face. I didn't laugh with the rest of them as I normally would have. Instead, I lunged after Skeeter again. This time it was Snape who caught me and kept me from flattening the witch. I thrashed against him but I couldn't break out of his arms. His grip was tighter than I was expecting. He threw me backward and I stumbled over my feet, barely keeping my balance.

"You know, if any of you had any balls you would kick her ass off of Hogwarts grounds!" I shouted at the teachers.

"Nox, that's enough!" Professor McGonagall yelled.

"It's not enough! You read what she wrote about me!" I shot back. The students looked horrified that I was now yelling at one of the most respected teachers in Hogwarts. "She's a _bitch_!"

"And that does not give you the right to act like one!" Professor McGonagall yelled back. I fell silent as she lowered her voice. "I know that you're upset about being a champion and what she wrote about you and you have every right to be. But this needs to end. Physical violence. It's too much. Come along. And you." Professor McGonagall was now addressing Skeeter. "Off of Hogwarts grounds this instant. If I catch any Hogwarts students speaking with her, you'll be in detention for a month."

The students scattered without another word as Snape moved to push Skeeter off the grounds. I followed Professor McGonagall without argument. "Where are we going?" I asked quietly.

"To see Professor Dumbledore," Professor McGonagall replied.

Great. I followed Professor McGonagall while shooting a scowl at Skeeter. I was furious with the reporter and everyone else. I followed the Transfiguration teacher at a close distance while avoiding the gazes of the students who were staring at me. I barely watched my surroundings as I walked. I was familiar with the path to Dumbledore's office. I walked all the way up the Griffin staircase with Professor McGonagall at my back. I knew that I'd gone too far today. I was going to get it. The door to Dumbledore's office opened and Professor McGonagall stepped back.

"I'll leave you to it," Professor McGonagall said.

"Professor McGonagall," I called before she could leave.

"Yes, Nox?"

"I'm sorry."

Not necessarily for what I had done, but I was sorry for being an ass to her. Professor McGonagall stared at me for a moment before nodding. "You are forgiven." I thought that she would leave when she leaned into me and lowered her voice. "For what it's worth, that was a good Fire-Making Spell."

I chuckled as she looked up and winked. "Thank you." Professor McGonagall turned to leave and closed the door to Dumbledore's office behind her. The Headmaster was sitting behind his desk, not smiling at me but not looking furious either. I tried to hold my head high as I said, "I'll accept my punishment. Whatever you think is right, but I'm not going to apologize to Skeeter."

"Nor will I ask you to," Dumbledore said calmly.

I'd come into the office determined to sound brave and defiant. But I sounded like a moron when I said, "What?"

Professor Dumbledore's eyes sparkled as he leaned forward. "You may not have spoken or acted in the best way possible, but I do not believe your words warrant a punishment." What? Was he joking? I _definitely_ deserved punishment for what I had done. "Though, may I recommend avoiding Professor Snape for a while?"

"Agreed," I said, chuckling under my breath. I knew that Dumbledore was relaxed about most things, but I'd expected something more than this. "Not that I'm upset about it, but why aren't you punishing me? I admit that I was kind of out of line."

"I lost my temper a few times myself when I was your age," Dumbledore explained.

"I can't imagine you ever losing your temper," I said honestly.

Dumbledore chuckled, but he didn't sound amused. "Believe me, it happened. You have every right to be angry. You haven't had it easy over the last few weeks." I nodded at him. That was an understatement. "I didn't have Professor McGonagall bring you up here to reprimand you for your actions downstairs," Dumbledore admitted.

I couldn't imagine another reason why I was here. "Why did you?" I asked.

"You have a visitor," Dumbledore said.

"You lit Rita Skeeter on fire." I jumped at my father's voice. He was standing in the shadows of the office. For a moment, I thought he would shout at me for what I'd done. My face lost its color as I expected a good reaming for what had happened over the last few weeks. Instead, he laughed. "Damn you. I wish I'd thought of that."

I laughed disbelievingly. "Hey, Dad."

"Come here, kiddo."

Dumbledore stood up, smiling at us. "I'll leave you to it. I do believe there is a blueberry tart downstairs calling my name."

We watched Dumbledore leave with smiles on our faces, both nodding gratefully at him. "He may be one of the greatest wizards to ever live but he's a strange duck," my father said, chuckling.

Once Dumbledore was gone, I ran up to my father and wrapped him in a tight hug. His arms tightened around my midsection almost painfully. I hadn't expected to have missed my parents this much. But I did. There were times when you needed friends and times you needed someone more. This was one of those times that I needed something more. I loved my friends and I adored Cedric, but I needed something else. I needed my parents. It was a long time before we released each other from the hug.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, trying to blink back the tears.

"To visit my girl," Dad said. I smiled up at him as he gently ran his hand over my back. "I hear you've been having a tough time out here and I wanted to make sure things were okay. Plus, I did have something to do with setting up the tournament. I was going to be here for the First Task anyway."

"Dad, I didn't put my name in the -"

"I know you didn't," he interrupted. My head snapped toward him. I thought he would have been the first one to blame me. He raised an eyebrow playfully. "You would know that too if you opened any of the letters your mother and I sent you."

I'd seen three letters come from my parents in the last few weeks but I had ignored them all. "I'm sorry. Things have been so awful the past few weeks and I thought your letters would be... I don't know. I thought you would be angry," I said bashfully.

"Darling, you're one of the brightest witches I've ever met. Brighter than your mother and brighter than me," Dad said teasingly. I smiled at him again. "But even you aren't bright enough to trick the Goblet of Fire. I know this tournament inside and out. It would take more than a fifteen-year-old girl to trick her way into the tournament."

"I wish everyone shared that sentiment," I muttered.

"You're a troublemaker. You always have been."

"But I didn't do that."

"I know. Are you okay?"

Absolutely not, but I didn't want to dump everything that was bothering me onto my father. He didn't need to have all my problems weighing on his mind. "Nervous. The First Task is coming up," I said, even though he already knew it. If there was any way out of the tournament, I knew that he was my last resort. "There's no way out of this?"

The guilt in his eyes was obvious. He felt terrible that his only child was stuck in what could be a fatal competition. "Honey, I'm sorry," Dad said, brushing my hair back off my forehead. "I've thought about it as much as I could but the Goblet of Fire is a binding contract. There's no way out. You _have_ to compete. But if anyone can do it, it's you. Hell, I believe you're going to win."

It was nice to know that someone had faith in me. "Really?" I asked.

"Absolutely."

"How dangerous is it?" I asked.

It was a frightening thought but I wanted at least some gauge of how dangerous things were going to be. "Far less dangerous than it normally would be. We made sure of that. No one is going to get hurt. Especially not you," Dad promised, taking my hand tightly. "I'll be right by your side the entire time."

"You know, you're surprisingly understanding about this," I said curiously.

"You've had a hard enough time lately."

"That's true." We stood in silence for a while when I realized something horrifying. He had likely seen the article about me in the Daily Prophet. I jumped in sudden desperation for him to believe me. "Dad, the article that Skeeter published -"

"I know it's not true," he interrupted.

Over the summer he had been so quick to believe the worst in me. Why did he believe me now? "How?" I asked.

"Because I trust you."

I smiled happily. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you set Skeeter on fire."

"Why?" I asked.

He was okay with me physically abusing someone? "Because she's going to be in St. Mungo's for a few days recovering. If she weren't there, I think I would go down there and set her on fire myself for _daring_ to talk about my daughter," Dad said dangerously.

No matter what happened between us, he was my father and he would never want to hear someone speak about me that way. "Thanks, Dad. How's Mom?" I asked.

"Worried about you," Dad said.

"That doesn't surprise me," I chuckled. "Tell her that I'm okay. A little nervous, but I'll be okay."

"I know."

"Are you staying?"

With the way I had been behaving lately, I wasn't sure if I wanted him to stay or leave. I didn't want to make myself look like an ass. "No, but I'll be back before the First Task," Dad promised. I nodded. "Dumbledore asked me to come out. He figured that you weren't doing well and thought you may need to speak to someone more than a friend."

"As always, he's right. Thanks for coming. And thanks for believing me," I added.

Dad nodded. "Always. We're on your side."

"I know. Since you're always on my side, is there any way you're planning on telling me about the First Task?" I asked, gently nudging him.

"Then you would actually be cheating after being accused of cheating," Dad pointed out. I rolled my eyes at him. How was _this_ the time that we were going to start doing things the right way? "We're not taking that route. You're going to win fair and square."

"Thanks, Dad. I'll see you in a few days," I said.

He smiled, nudging me under the chin. "Chin up, kid. You're smarter and stronger than those kids. Always remember that," Dad said. I smiled up at him. "If all else fails, remember that you're good with Fire-Making Spells."

We both laughed as we walked out of the office to where Dumbledore was waiting in the lobby to his office. We both thanked Dumbledore for arranging the time for us to have a heart-to-heart before my father left. He was heading out well onto Hogwarts grounds with Dumbledore so he could Apparate home. I ended up going back to my classes honestly believing that things couldn't get much worse. Things were going to get better. I would ignore the comments, I would focus on the people I was still friends with, and I was going to get the best score in the First Task.

Unfortunately, the happiness I had felt from getting to see my father didn't last long. Seeing Dad and getting to talk with him had made me feel a bit better but it didn't take long for me to feel terrible again. People were still laughing at me. They thought it was funny I was so angry. They thought I was going to be flattened during the First Task. They thought Cedric had gotten what he wanted and had dumped me. They thought that I was going insane - sometimes I thought they might have been right about that. No one wanted to be my friend.

Just the day after my father had come and visited me in Hogwarts, I found myself sitting out on the grass at the edge of the Black Lake in the middle of lessons one day. Everything had finally gotten to me and I was letting my emotions out. Tears poured down my cheeks as I tried to keep from having to gasp for breath. I was hurt, embarrassed, and extremely angry. I couldn't believe what a nightmare this year had turned into, and we were only a few months in. This was supposed to be the year that I finally got some peace.

All that had happened over the last few weeks was that I had made myself look like a moron and far more provocative than I cared for. I knew that there were rumors of what Cedric and I had done in the middle of the night but people had known they were mostly rumors. I knew that people had pushed them along. People believed this was the truth. Everyone thought Cedric had gotten what he wanted and he'd left me. I heard the crunching of grass behind me and I threw my book, hearing it land on impact. Detentions didn't bother me anymore.

"Good aim. But I was expecting it," Cedric's voice came. I turned toward him and saw that he was holding my book against his stomach. We stared at each other for a few moments. "You shouldn't be out here."

"You should?" I asked him.

Cedric shrugged. "This is my free period. You should be in Charms if I recall correctly."

"Correct," I said.

Being in Charms would have been miserable. I didn't want to face the jeers from the Hufflepuff students in that class. "Is there a particular reason you're not there?" Cedric asked slowly.

"Seriously?" I snapped.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize things were that bad," Cedric said guiltily.

"That's not surprising," I huffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cedric asked.

Was he joking? How could he not understand how terrible things had become for me? "Why would you know how bad things were for me?" I snapped. Cedric looked surprised by my question. He would never know what this was like for me. "I don't get a few jibes thrown my way. I don't get people congratulating me on my score. Cedric, people are impressed with you. They think you managed to get yourself into my -"

"I've told them it's not true," Cedric interrupted.

"But it doesn't matter! They think you're too nice to admit what supposedly happened between us. Everyone's been cheering you on. They're impressed that you took what I can only give away once," I said, irritated that my voice cracked with both anger and embarrassment. Cedric's eyes turned down as I lowered my voice. "That's not the response I'm getting."

Cedric let out a deep breath as he laid a hand on my knee. I jerked away slightly. He retracted his hand. "I'm so sorry, Tara. I never meant for this to happen to you," Cedric said.

"You know what, I know you didn't mean for this to happen. You're too good of a person to have wanted or meant for this to happen. But it doesn't change what's happened! I'm a _joke_ , Cedric. It's a double-standard. You're a hero. I'm a slut. Get it?" I asked. I didn't miss the way he cringed when I insulted myself. "Do you know how many propositions I've gotten from students who have never spoken to me before this? Do you know how many nasty names I've been called? It was your friends! I know I've never been super close to them but my friends would have _never_ done this to you."

"Do you think I'm happy with them? I haven't spoken to Ted or Michael since this happened," Cedric explained. I was a little surprised that he hadn't, but some part of me was happy he wasn't. "They're hurt that I haven't been talking to them."

"Good. I don't care how they feel," I snapped.

"I know. That wasn't the point I was trying to make. I was trying to tell you that I'm not happy with what they said. You're my girlfriend," Cedric told me. That was what I wanted, but I wasn't sure if that was where we were. I opened my mouth to tell him that we weren't technically together anymore when he spoke over me. "Damn you, we're still together. It's what I want. It's what you want, isn't it?"

The sound of his voice broke my heart. He sounded more devastated about our semi-breakup than I had expected. It sounded like he wanted to be with me a lot more than I'd expected. I wanted to be with him so badly. All I wanted right now was to be with him. I wanted to hide up in the Astronomy Tower with him and never come back down. Cedric took my hand and gently pulled me into him. I stiffened at his touch and thought about pulling away briefly. Being with him had been so hard for me lately.

As I had told Fred earlier, I didn't know how much longer I could handle the hurt that came with being with Cedric. "Of course, I've always wanted to be with you. I've had a crush on you since the first time we met in Diagon Alley four years ago," I admitted. A small grin turned up on Cedric's face. "When we got together I was thrilled. Being with you was probably the happiest I'd ever been."

"Was?" Cedric asked teasingly.

As much as I wanted to give in and respond, I knew that I had to keep things serious. "Lately things aren't right," I said. Cedric's face fell. "You know that. We're always fighting. It's not you. It's me."

Cedric wore a bitter smile on his face. "The 'it's not you, it's me' speech."

"That's not what I was saying it for," I said defensively, tightening my grip on his hand to keep him from pulling away. "I still want to be with you, but every time we come close to getting back together I seem to get hurt again."

"I don't want you to get hurt, but I don't want to let you go," Cedric said.

So, we were at a standstill. I couldn't bring myself to walk away from him and he couldn't bring himself to let me go, but we weren't sure if we were supposed to be together. "So, where do we go from here?" I asked slowly.

Cedric was silent for a moment before saying, "Do you trust me?"

"Somehow, I do," I said.

"So, trust that I care for you. Trust that I understand whatever choice you're about to make. Trust that if you're not ready to continue this quite yet, I'll understand and that I'll be right here waiting for you when things get better," Cedric said.

That answer surprised me. "Really?" I asked curiously.

He had every right to walk away from me. He'd had a long line of girls waiting for him the moment our relationship seemed to be on the rocks. "Yes. I don't want to end this," Cedric said. "Whatever it takes, I'll be right here waiting for you."

"Why?" I asked.

He gave me a strange smile that I couldn't place as he shook his head. "It's not the time."

We stared at each other for a moment as Cedric tightened his grip on my hand. I smiled sadly at him as I leaned down and rested my head in the crook of his shoulder. "It makes sense what my parents told me once," I said quietly as we watched the murky black waters. "They talked about having a relationship you can't let go of."

Cedric chuckled as he leaned down and pressed a kiss against the top of my head. "Good."

We would get back to normal. I believed that. In the meantime, I was glad to know that Cedric felt the same way about me that I felt about him. I had such strong feelings for him that I couldn't understand. Cedric reached under my chin after a moment and tilted it upward. I smiled weakly as we met eyes. He leaned down and moved his lips past my mouth, our lips hardly brushing as he pressed a kiss against the corner of my mouth. I let out a deep breath as I reached up and pressed a kiss against his cheek.

Even as my lips were still pressed against his cheek, I could feel them tilt up in a smile. "You're better than I deserve," I told him.

Cedric shook his head. "That's not true at all. You would have every right to tell me to go to hell and never speak to me again," Cedric said. I giggled under my breath. We sat in silence for a bit before Cedric spoke again. "I didn't say what was written in the article. You know that, don't you?"

Except for a brief moment of doubt, I had always known that Cedric would have never said something like that. "I do. I was just angry," I told him. "I guess for half a second I thought that maybe you had repeated our conversation to one of your friends and they had spread the rumor."

Cedric shook his head. "What I say to you and vice versa stays between us."

"I know," I admitted.

There was a reason I'd always believed he was a great man. He would never do something like that. "Tara?" Cedric asked. I hummed under my breath. "Promise me something?" I nodded at him. "When this year ends and we're through with this nightmare, we can take some time and... and be together again. I want to remember what it's like to be your boyfriend without the Triwizard Tournament."

"It's exactly like this. This is what dating me is like," I said irritably.

"Then it's exciting," Cedric said.

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "You're a saint for putting up with me."

"I'm not a saint and I don't put up with you," Cedric said.

There was a vague hint of emotion in his voice that told me what he wasn't saying out loud. It was a sentiment that I shared but not one that I was ready to say. Not while things were so rocky between us. So, I settled with keeping my head tucked against his shoulder as he placed a hand under my robe, his fingers wrapped over the top of my bare thigh, just slightly under where my skirt laid. Goosebumps rose on my skin as his hand trailed upward slightly, still keeping a respectable distance.

"You didn't come to the Astronomy Tower that night," Cedric commented.

"You went?" I asked, shocked.

Cedric nodded. "Of course. I said I would be there."

After my blowup in the Great Hall that morning, I hadn't even considered going to the Astronomy Tower. I was shocked that he had gone. "Why? I treated you like shit," I said.

"You know exactly why," Cedric said.

"I should have gone," I muttered.

Cedric shrugged. "Trust me, I didn't think you would be there," he pointed out. I blushed. I could have had a wonderful chance to prove him wrong. "I went just in case you changed your mind."

"Even though I wasn't there for it, I'm glad you went," I said.

"Oh?" Cedric asked, sounding surprised. "Why?"

"It's nice to know that I can be a complete ass to you but you're always there for me," I said. Cedric laughed, nodding comfortingly. "No matter what horrible thing I say or do, you're always there to support me. I don't deserve you, but I'm extremely grateful to have you."

"I've got no intention of leaving. I'm right here," Cedric promised.

For the first time since my name had been pulled from the Goblet of Fire, I believed him. I believed that he was going to be there for me. I believed that he was going to wait while I tried to piece my life back together. I believed that he was going to support me while I tried to get past the rumors that were still running rampant around us. Cedric and I stared at each other for a long time before he wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled me into him. I followed. We were centimeters apart when the bell tower chimed.

We both jumped but didn't pull away. "Good timing," I chuckled bashfully.

"No, it wasn't," Cedric argued. We exchanged another small smile as I leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss against the edge of his lips. I smirked at his indignation as I pulled back. "Next time."

"Next time," I promised, and that time I meant it.

On the Saturday before the First Task, all students in the Third Year and above were permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade. When I'd first heard, I hadn't wanted to go. I had wanted to hang around and wander the castle while none of the other students were there to stare at or make fun of me. My idea hadn't lasted long. Neither had Harry's, as he'd had the same idea. Hermione told Harry and me that it would do us good to get away from the castle for a bit, and after some thought, I hadn't needed much persuasion.

"What about Ron, though?" Harry asked Hermione. "Don't you want to go with him?"

"Oh. Well..." Hermione went slightly pink. "I thought we might meet up with him in the Three Broomsticks."

"No," Harry said flatly.

"No way," I snapped. Even if we didn't get in an argument, we would be sitting in silence the entire visit. "Can you imagine how awkward that would be?"

"Oh, Harry, Tara, this is so stupid -"

"I'll come, but I'm not meeting Ron, and I'm wearing my Invisibility Cloak," Harry said.

"Tara?" Hermione asked.

The hesitance in her voice told me that she didn't want me to wear the Invisibility Cloak. I understood, she didn't want to look like she was alone. "Don't worry about me. I'm not going to use the Invisibility Cloak. I can't hear much worse than I already have. Harry can keep it. I'll come with you guys," I told them.

"You're not going to go with Cedric?" Hermione asked curiously.

"No," I mumbled. "We're taking some time to think about things."

"What does that mean?" Hermione asked.

"I'll let you know when we've figured it out," I said.

Until I was positive that we could work things out, I knew that it was the right move to take a step back. "Oh, all right then... but I hate talking to you in that cloak, I never know if I'm looking at you or not," Hermione snapped.

"At least you'll have me," I half-teased.

"Are you sure you don't want to use the cloak?" Harry offered.

"No, I'm good. They'll laugh one way or another. I may as well see if they have the balls to say it to my face," I said.

The comments would echo all around Hogsmeade whether or not they saw me. I may as well have tried to put on a brave face. To my surprise, both Harry and Hermione started laughing at my comment. I hadn't expected it. I'd thought that Hermione would continue to badger me about my language and general disregard for the rules. I had heard about it from Hermione when she'd learned what I had done to Skeeter and Snape. Once we had stopped laughing, Harry ran to get the Invisibility Cloak, came back downstairs, and together the three of us set off for Hogsmeade.

Things were tough but I was bound and determined that I wasn't going to let myself get upset today. I was out of the stifling air of the castle and going to finally have some fun. So, Hermione and I chatted happily about Muggle things - something that kept my mind miles away from the idea of the tournament and what was going on in Hogwarts. We talked about movies we could go see over the summer, new music that we had been listening to over the break, and taking a trip to the States once the year was over.

As I hadn't been listening to what most people were saying in Hogsmeade, I felt wonderfully free on this trip. It was the first time in a long time. I watched the other students walking past us as we entered the village, most of them sporting Support Cedric Diggory! badges. Some chuckled at the sight of me in Hogsmeade without Cedric, but no horrible remarks came my way and nobody was quoting that stupid article yet. I figured that it was mostly because I finally looked happy. People knew that their comments wouldn't get to me. Not today.

I'd been feeling perfectly wonderful until I saw Cedric wandering around with his friends not far from us. My mood plummeted immediately. I noticed that Ted and Michael were a bit quieter than normal. I stared at them as they walked past. I could hear Hermione and Harry chatting softly at my side. I gave the older Hufflepuff students a long look and smiled grouchily. Maybe I had made the wrong move... Maybe I should have taken Cedric up on his offer to keep our relationship going. I sighed as I watched them walk off.

"People keep looking at me now," Hermione said grumpily as we came out of Honeydukes Sweetshop an hour after arriving in Hogsmeade, eating large cream-filled chocolates. "They think I'm talking to myself."

"They think you're talking to Tara," Harry said from under the Invisibility Cloak.

"No, they don't. She's off daydreaming about her boyfriend," Hermione said.

"Ex," I said bitterly.

"Sorry," Hermione said bashfully.

"It's fine," I muttered.

"Don't move your lips so much then," Harry advised Hermione.

"Come on, please just take off your cloak for a bit, no one's going to bother you here," Hermione told him.

"Oh yeah?" Harry asked. "Look behind you."

That was enough to break my concentration over Cedric. I looked over to see that Rita Skeeter and her photographer friend had just emerged from the Three Broomsticks pub. "Evil bitch," I growled.

I'd barely noticed that I was moving toward her until Hermione grabbed me. "She's not worth it," Hermione whispered.

"Maybe, but it'll be amusing for me," I replied.

I launched after her but was stopped by Hermione again. "Stop it!" Hermione barked.

"No!" I snapped.

Our shouting had attracted Skeeter's attention. "Something bothering you, Miss Nox?" Skeeter half-asked and half-sneered, her Quick-Quotes Quill in her hands.

"You," I growled.

"You should have enjoyed my article. It's made you the talk of the school," Skeeter said.

The talk of the school? It had turned me into the Whore of Babylon. I launched after Skeeter, determined to claw her eyes out, but was grabbed by Hermione for the third time. Skeeter squealed and backed away nervously. "She's not worth it!" Hermione told me.

Talking in low voices, Skeeter and her photographer passed right by Hermione without looking at her. I scowled at her as she passed. I could see Harry's footprints back into the wall of Honeydukes to stop Skeeter from hitting him with her crocodile-skin handbag. When they were gone, Harry said, "You should have let her."

Hermione shook her head. "She would get detention for a month," she replied to Harry before turning to me. She had the 'you're-going-to-get-yourself-into-trouble-you-can't-get-out-of' look on her face. "They're only going to deal with her attitude for so much longer before they take action. You're not getting expelled because you can't control yourself."

They weren't going to expel me. "Yeah, whatever," I huffed. "She deserved it."

"We know," Hermione said.

"She's staying in the village. I bet she's coming to watch the First Task," Harry said.

"Maybe she'll be an 'accidental' casualty," I spat.

"Tara, you don't mean that," Hermione said, actually sounding a little nervous.

"Sure, I do," I replied.

At the mention of the First Task, my stomach flooded with a wave of molten panic. I'd had so much to think about over the past few weeks that the actual idea of the task had slipped my mind. This was the first time it had seemed real. With only days left until the task, there was no more running and hiding from it. I didn't mention the panic that had slipped into my head; none of us had discussed what was coming in the First Task much. I had the feeling neither one of them wanted to think about it.

"She's gone," Hermione said, looking right through Harry toward the end of the street. "Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, it's a bit cold, isn't it? You don't have to talk to Ron!"

The Three Broomsticks was packed, mainly with Hogwarts students enjoying their free afternoon, but also with a variety of magical people I had rarely seen anywhere else. This was the only place in Britain that most of them could survive freely. I supposed that as Hogsmeade was the only all-wizard village in Britain, it was a bit of a haven for creatures like hags, who were not as adept as wizards at disguising themselves.

Keeping my hand in his, Harry edged slowly toward a spare table in the corner. It was the only way I could figure out where he was and how close we were to him. In the meantime, Hermione had gone to buy the three of us drinks. On our way through the pub, I spotted Ron, who was sitting with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. Resisting the urge to give Ron a good hard poke in the back of the head, Harry finally reached the table. I heard the wood creak as he took a seat and I sat down on his other side.

My eyes scanned back through the bar as we sat and waited for Hermione. On some level, I was glad that Ron had others to turn to right now. He had his own problems and deserved to have someone to turn to. I met eyes with Fred, who winked at her. I smiled back at him. I still had friends and people on my side, even if it doesn't always seem like it. Hell, even Cedric had promised that he was on my side. Hermione joined us a moment later and slipped Harry a Butterbeer under his cloak. At that moment, I noticed Cedric come in with his friends.

"I look like such an idiot, sitting here on my own," Hermione muttered.

"You're not on your own. I'm here," I pointed out.

"You're daydreaming on your own planet," Hermione said.

"Okay, that's fair," I said.

"Lucky I brought something to do," Hermione continued.

And she pulled out a notebook in which she had been keeping a record of S.P.E.W. members. I snorted at the sight of it. I'd almost forgotten about her strange attempt to free House-Elves. As I scanned her papers, I saw Harry, Ron, and my own name at the top of the very short list. It seemed a long time ago that we had sat making up those predictions together, I had teased her about her efforts, and Hermione had turned up and appointed us as secretary, treasurer, and myself the head of public relations.

"You know, maybe I should try and get some of the villagers involved in S.P.E.W.," Hermione said thoughtfully, looking around the pub.

"You'll get laughed away from their tables," I told them.

Hermione gave me an affronted look. "No, I won't! They could be interested."

"Yeah, right," Harry said. I took a swig of Butterbeer as I watched Cedric laugh with his friends. "Hermione, when are you going to give up on this spew stuff?"

"When house-elves have decent wages and working conditions!" Hermione hissed back. "You know, I'm starting to think it's time for more direct action. I wonder how you get into the school kitchens?"

"Do _not_ go bother the House-Elves," I told her.

"No idea, ask Fred and George," Harry said.

"Tara?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not asking. Do it yourself, they're your friends too," I snapped.

Hermione lapsed into thoughtful silence, while I drank my Butterbeer, watching the people in the pub. All of them looked cheerful and relaxed, nowhere near the way I felt. Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot were swapping Chocolate Frog cards at a nearby table along with Cedric and the rest of his friends; both of them were sporting Support Cedric Diggory! badges on their cloaks. Right over by the door, I saw Cho and a large group of her Ravenclaw friends. She wasn't wearing a Cedric badge though, much to my surprise.

What wouldn't I have given to be one of those people, sitting around laughing and talking, with nothing to worry about but homework? I imagined how it would have felt to be here if my name hadn't come out of the Goblet of Fire. Ron would be sitting with us. I wouldn't be listening to people making fun of me. The four of us would probably be happily imagining what deadly dangerous task the school champions would be facing on Tuesday. I would have been really looking forward to it, watching them do whatever it was.

My heart would soar as I would have been cheering on Cedric with everyone else, safe in a seat at the back of the stands. I would have been able to run into his arms at the end of the First Task and planted a big kiss on his lips. We wouldn't be broken up. We could celebrate with each other when he finished the tournament. My mental health wouldn't be falling apart at the seams. I wouldn't be about ready to kill someone with all the frustration I was dealing with. Things would have been more exciting than fearful.

Though I had tried to ignore them lately, I found myself wondering how the other champions were feeling. Every time I had seen Cedric lately, he had been surrounded by admirers and looking nervous but excited. He hadn't said anything that day at the Black Lake about the tournament but I had seen some excitement in his eyes. I glimpsed Fleur Delacour from time to time in the corridors; she looked exactly as she always did, haughty and unruffled. Oddly enough, Krum just sat in the library, pouring over books.

The only thing I had to look forward to was seeing Sirius, though I wished we had more time between that chat and the First Task. At the thought of Sirius, the tight, tense knot in my chest seemed to ease slightly. Harry and I would be speaking to him in just over twelve hours, for tonight was the night they were meeting at the Common Room fire - assuming nothing went wrong, as everything else had done lately. At that moment, Cedric turned back to me and smiled. He was at the bar by himself, fetching drinks for his friends. He motioned me toward him.

"I'll be right back," I told Harry and Hermione.

Hermione barely looked up from her work. I couldn't tell what Harry had done. I rose to my feed and headed to the bar, standing a few feet from Cedric. "Drink?" he offered.

"You know, I can get my own," I replied.

"And here I wanted to try and woo my girlfriend back," Cedric teased. I smiled happily as I stepped into him. We stood almost up against each other as Cedric's arm slipped around my back. I heard feminine laughter and turned back to see a few pretty girls sitting at Cedric's table. I scowled at them. "Meaning you."

I stared at him for a moment. I didn't mean to let it slip, but I said, "I think I made a mistake."

Cedric's dark eyebrows rose. "What's that?"

"I think I hate the thought of not being with you even more than I hate what they're saying about me," I admitted.

"How much do you hate it?" Cedric asked.

"More than you know, I'm guessing," I said.

Not dating him anymore was a worse feeling than I'd had in a long time. "I'm not so sure about that," Cedric said. We smiled at each other as Cedric gently pulled me into him. My smile widened a little bit. I could see the desire in his eyes; I was positive that they were reflected in mine. "What do you say we go somewhere for a while?"

"Well -"

"Ced!" Ernie McMillan's voice called.

I'd been about ready to agree to leave with him. I wasn't sure if it was good or bad that Ernie had stopped us. "Come on!" Hannah Abbott added. "We're heading back to the castle."

"We've got Professor McGonagall's exam to study for," Ted added.

His voice was much quieter than the way it normally would have been. He had always been one of Cedric's loudest friends. I figured it was because he knew how hurt his relationship was with his friend. Ted didn't look pleased that Cedric was talking to me, but he wasn't going to push their already fragile relationship. "Your friends want you," I told Cedric quietly.

"Well, that's not what I want," Cedric replied.

"I think we all know what you want. Including your friends, apparently," I huffed.

For the first time since the article had come out, I found myself able to joke about it. I was as surprised as he was that I'd made a joke out of it. Cedric's lips turned upward as he smiled disbelievingly at me. "Is that such a bad thing?" Cedric asked.

My jaw almost dropped. "No. I don't suppose it is."

"Ced, come on!" Michael yelled. "The carriages are leaving."

"You should go. Before you get into something you can't handle," I teased.

We were both a little surprised by my words. Cedric barked out a laugh and winked as I leaned past him and stole his Butterbeer, turning and leaving the counter before he could reply to me. His laughter followed me to my seat. I had a good feeling that we would eventually get back together - truly together - but for now, we were going to tease each other, just the way we always had. Cedric rolled his eyes playfully as he walked back toward his friends to return to the castle. I walked back to Harry and Hermione.

"What was that about?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Don't ask," I told her.

"Disgusting," Harry groaned.

"Come on, don't you want me to be happy?" I teased, nudging what I imagined to be his shoulder.

"Not that happy," Harry groaned in response.

"Look, it's Hagrid!" Hermione said.

Hagrid? What the hell was Hagrid doing in Hogsmeade? He rarely came to Hogsmeade without a good reason. The back of Hagrid's enormous shaggy head - he had mercifully abandoned his bunches - emerged over the crowd. I wondered why I hadn't spotted him at once, as Hagrid was so large, but rising to my feet for a moment, I saw that Hagrid had been leaning low, talking to Professor Moody. I raised a brow, unsure of what they were doing together. Hagrid had his usual enormous tankard in front of him, but Moody was drinking from his hip flask.

Madam Rosmerta, the pretty landlady on the Three Broomsticks, didn't seem to think much of that; she was looking askance at Moody as she collected glasses from tables around the two men. Perhaps she thought it was an insult to her mulled mead, but I knew better. Moody had told our class during our last Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson that he preferred to prepare his food and drink at all times, as it was so easy for Dark wizards to poison an unattended cup. The more I got to know Moody, the more I understood why everyone said he was so paranoid.

As I watched the pair move around the Three Broomsticks, I saw Hagrid and Moody get up to leave. I would have waved, but I didn't want to bring Moody over to the table. It turned out to not matter. Moody paused as they were leaving, his magical eye on the corner where Harry had been seated. Moody tapped Hagrid in the small of the back (being unable to reach his shoulder), muttered something to him, and then the pair of them made their way back across the pub toward Harry, Hermione, and I's table.

Biting my tongue to keep from saying something rude to Moody, I tried to focus on Hagrid. "Hello, Tara," Hagrid greeted.

"Hi, Hagrid," I replied.

"All right, Hermione?" Hagrid called loudly.

"Hello," Hermione said, smiling back.

"Professor Moody," I greeted, knowing I couldn't ignore him.

"Miss Nox." Moody limped around the table and bent down. I thought he was reading the S.P.E.W. notebook, until he muttered, "Nice cloak, Potter."

My jaw dropped. I had never met anyone who could see through an Invisibility Cloak. I hadn't thought it was possible to see through one. I thought they were supposed to block out everything. I could only imagine that Harry was staring at Moody in amazement. Moody glanced up long enough to give me a knowing half-smirk. I stared at him with a stupid look on my face. The large chunk missing from Moody's nose was particularly obvious at a few inches' distance. Moody grinned.

"Can your eye - I mean, can you - ?"

"Yeah, it can see through Invisibility Cloaks," Moody said quietly. "And it's come in useful at times, I can tell you."

"Fascinating," I mumbled.

Moody gave me an almost imperceptible nod. Hagrid was beaming down at us too. I knew Hagrid couldn't see Harry, but Moody had told Hagrid he was there. Hagrid now bent down on the pretext of reading the S.P.E.W. notebook as well and said in a whisper so low that only the two of us could hear it, "Harry, Tara, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin. Wear that cloak, the both of yeh."

"What?" I asked dumbly.

Straightening up, Hagrid said loudly, "Nice ter see yeh, ladies."

He then winked and departed. "Bye, Hagrid," I mumbled.

Moody followed him. "Why does Hagrid want us to meet him at midnight?" Harry asked, sounding surprised.

"No idea," I admitted.

"Does he?" Hermione asked, looking startled. I'd almost forgotten that she couldn't hear Hagrid. "I wonder what he's up to? I don't know whether you two should go." She looked nervously around and hissed, "It might make you late for Sirius."

It was a good point. We would be pushing it. "I can't stand the thought of missing it. Hagrid wouldn't ask us to risk being out that late and getting caught unless it was something important," I pointed out. Harry nodded. "We'll watch the clock."

"You're right. We need to go," Harry said.

It was true that going down to Hagrid's at midnight would mean cutting our meeting with Sirius very close. On our way back to Hogwarts a little while later, Hermione suggested sending Hedwig or Dai down to Hagrid's to tell him he couldn't go - assuming either one of the owls would consent to take the note, of course. Harry and I thought it would be better just to be quick at whatever Hagrid wanted us for. We were very curious to know what he wanted us for; Hagrid had never asked any of us to visit him so late at night.

Whatever he wanted from either one of us had to be important. There was no way that he would risk our safety if it wasn't important. I tried to think all day what he could want, but nothing came to mind. Nothing seemed important enough. At half-past eleven that evening, Harry and I - both of us had pretended to go up to bed early - pulled the Invisibility Cloak over ourselves and crept back downstairs through the Common Room. It was nerve-wracking to see that quite a few people were still in there.

I had to trust that Fred and George would get the students out if I needed it. In the Common Room, the Creevey brothers had managed to get hold of a stack of Support Cedric Diggory! badges and were trying to bewitch them to make them say Support Harry Potter & Tara Nox! instead. So far, however, all they had managed to do was get the badges stuck on POTTER STINKS. Harry and I crept past them to the portrait hole and waited for a minute or so, keeping an eye on Harry's watch. Then Hermione opened the Fat Lady for us from outside as we had planned.

Harry and I slipped past her with a whispered "Thanks!"

"See you later!" I called after her, and together we set off through the castle.

We had barely walked for a few seconds when Harry spoke again. "What do you think he wants?" he asked.

Hagrid liked to chitchat with us but I couldn't imagine what he wanted that was this important. "To show us something. It has to be something important. He wouldn't have us risking getting in trouble unless there was a good reason," I said.

As we wandered out toward the grounds we talked about what Hagrid could have wanted. Neither one of us could figure out what it was. Hagrid wasn't the type to bring us out with this kind of risk. By the time we made it outside, the grounds were very dark. Harry and I walked down the lawn toward the lights shining in Hagrid's cabin. The inside of the enormous Beauxbatons carriage was also lit up but it seemed that the students were getting ready for bed. I could hear Madame Maxime talking inside it as Harry knocked on Hagrid's front door.

"You there, Harry, Tara?" Hagrid whispered, opening the door and looking around.

"Yeah," Harry said, slipping inside the cabin and pulling the cloak down off our heads.

"Hi, Hagrid," I chirped.

"What's up?" Harry asked.

"Got summat ter show yeh two," Hagrid said.

So, we were right about that part. But what did he want to show us? He didn't seem nervous. There was an air of enormous excitement about Hagrid. He was wearing a flower that resembled an oversized artichoke in his buttonhole. It looked as though he had abandoned the use of axle grease, but he had certainly attempted to comb his hair. I could see the comb's broken teeth tangled in it. Harry and I exchanged a look. I shrugged at him. I didn't know what was going on with Hagrid or why we were out here.

"Uh... you look nice, Hagrid," I said, trying to fill the awkward silence.

"Thank yeh, Tara," Hagrid said happily.

There was a slight blush on his cheeks. "What're you showing us?" Harry said warily.

For a moment, I had a brief fear that the skrewts had laid eggs, or Hagrid had managed to buy another giant three-headed dog off a stranger in a pub. "Please tell me the skrewts haven't multiplied," I whispered.

"Not yet," Hagrid said, sounding defeated that he didn't have twice the amount of Skrewts. "Come with me, keep quiet, an' keep yerself covered with that cloak. We won' take Fang, he won' like it."

"That doesn't sound reassuring," I whispered.

"Listen, Hagrid, we can't stay long. We've got to be back up at the castle by one o'clock," Harry said.

We didn't have long before we had to leave. I wasn't sure what Sirius was planning but I didn't imagine he was going to be around for that long. He couldn't risk having someone find him in Hogwarts. I wanted to ask Hagrid what was going on and how long it would take, but Hagrid wasn't listening. Instead, he was opening the cabin door and striding off into the night. Harry and I hurried to follow and found, to my great surprise, that Hagrid was leading us to the Beauxbatons carriage.

"Hagrid, what - ?"

"Shhh!" Hagrid interrupted Harry, and he knocked three times on the door bearing the crossed golden wands.

"Are we about to go on a date with Hagrid?" I whispered to Harry.

"I hope not," Harry replied.

Madame Maxime opened the door. She was wearing a silk shawl wrapped around her massive shoulders. She smiled when she saw Hagrid. "Ah, 'Agrid... it is time?"

Time for _what_? "Bong-sewer," Hagrid said, beaming at her, and holding out a hand to help her down the golden steps.

"Oh, Hagrid," I muttered.

"What?" Harry asked dumbly.

"He meant to say 'Bonsoir,'" I explained.

At least he had given it a try. I hoped Madam Maxime would appreciate that effort. Madame Maxime stepped out and closed the door behind her. Hagrid offered her his arm and they set off around the edge of the paddock containing Madame Maxime's giant winged horses. Harry and I, exchanging bewildered looks, were running to keep up with them. Had Hagrid wanted to show us that he had a date Madame Maxime? It was sweet, even if I didn't like her, but I didn't understand why we were out here. We could talk about his dating life anytime.

"We're accompanying them on a date!" I told Harry irritably.

"There _has_ to be something more," Harry said.

"I don't think I want to see any more," I said.

Harry shivered in disgust. I didn't want to know what he was picturing. It seemed that Madame Maxime was in for the same treatment as Harry and I, because after a while she said playfully, "Where is it you are taking me, 'Agrid?"

"Yeh'll enjoy this, worth seein', trust me," Hagrid said gruffly. "On'y - don' go tellin' anyone I showed yeh, right? Yeh're not s'posed ter know."

"Of course not," Madame Maxime said, fluttering her long black eyelashes.

Well, that didn't seem at all suspicious. Did Madam Maxime want something? Was she trying to play Hagrid? And still, we walked, Harry and I getting more and more irritated as we jogged along in their wake, checking Harry's watch now and then. We kept exchanging annoyed looks. Hagrid had some harebrained scheme in hand, which might make us miss Sirius. After a brief whispered conversation we decided if we didn't get there soon, we were going to turn around, go straight back to the castle, and leave Hagrid to enjoy his moonlit stroll with Madame Maxime.

But then - when we had walked so far around the perimeter of the forest that the castle and the lake were out of sight - I heard something. Men were shouting up ahead. Harry and I exchanged a quick look as we moved a bit closer to Hagrid and Madam Maxime. Nothing was out this far in the Forbidden Forest. I knew that for a fact, as we had traversed it many times. A few seconds passed as the men's voices tapered off, then came a deafening, earsplitting roar. It was so loud and sudden that I jumped.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

It was so loud that I could speak normally. "It sounded... big," Harry said dumbly.

Whatever was making that noise was huge. The question remained, though. What was it? Hagrid led Madame Maxime around a clump of trees and came to a halt. My irritation with Hagrid and potentially missing Sirius vanished as my curiosity took over. Harry and I linked hands as we hurried up alongside them for a better view. For a split second, I thought I was seeing bonfires and men darting around us - some strange kind of ritual - and then my mouth fell open. I knew _exactly_ what had made that noise.

"Those are not -"

"Dragons," Harry interrupted me.

Dragons. For some reason, there were dragons in the middle of a clearing in the Forbidden Forest. I was positive that I didn't want to know why they were out here. Five fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing onto their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting torrents of fire that were shooting into the dark sky from their open, fanged mouths, fifty feet above the ground on their outstretched necks. My stomach churned just looking at them.

There was a silvery-blue one with long, pointed horns, snapping and snarling at the wizards on the ground; a smooth-scaled green one, which was writhing and stamping with all its might; a red one with an odd fringe of fine gold spikes around its face, which was shooting mushroom-shaped fire clouds into the air; a massive brown one with black ridges on its back, which was biting at the chains around its legs; and a gigantic black one, more lizard-like than the others, which was nearest to us.

At least thirty wizards, seven or eight to each dragon, were attempting to control them, pulling on the chains connected to heavy leather straps around their necks and legs. What the hell did we have five dragons here for? Mesmerized by both my fear and admiration for the creatures, I looked up, high above me, and saw the eyes of the black dragon, with vertical pupils like a cat's, bulging with either fear or rage. I couldn't tell which. It was making a horrible noise, a yowling, screeching scream.

My gaze turned to the other dragons. I landed on the deep brown dragon not far from the black one. It closely resembled the black dragon, except for the black ridges on its back and the browner texture of the scales. It seemed to be a little less violent than the black one, but that wasn't saying much. Something was dripping from the brown dragon's fangs, which I quickly realized were venomous. I jumped a few inches in the air as the dragon lurched after a fish that was being thrown its way. Suddenly, as my eyes met the brown dragon's, I realized that I had seen it before.

"Harry!" I gasped, grabbing his arm. He was still staring at the black dragon. "Do you recognize that dragon?"

"What?" Harry asked.

"That's Norbert!"

It was the same Norwegian Ridgeback that Hagrid had briefly owned during our First Year. I was positive about it. "What's he doing here?" Harry whispered.

"Not the slightest," I admitted.

"Keep back there, Hagrid!" a wizard near the fence yelled, straining on the chain he was holding. "They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!"

"Is'n' it beautiful?" Hagrid asked Madam Maxime softly.

"It's no good!" another wizard yelled. "Stunning Spells, on the count of three!"

I saw each of the dragon keepers pull out his wand. "Stupefy!" the men shouted in unison, and the Stunning Spells shot into the darkness like fiery rockets, bursting in showers of stars on the dragons' scaly hides.

Harry and I watched the dragon nearest to us teeter dangerously on its back legs; its jaws stretched wide in a silent howl and its nostrils were suddenly devoid of flame, though still smoking. Then, very slowly, it fell. Several tons of sinewy, scaly black dragon hit the ground with a thud that I could have sworn made the trees behind us quake. I hadn't expected the ground to shake as much as it had. We both wavered slightly, almost collapsing to the ground. I grabbed Harry to keep myself steady.

In the back of my mind, I figured that part of the shakiness in my legs was from the sight of the dragons. There had to be some reason they were here and I wasn't getting a good feeling about it. The dragon keepers lowered their wands and walked forward to their fallen charges, each of which was the size of a small hill. The wizards hurried to tighten the chains and fasten them securely to iron pegs, which they forced deep into the ground with their wands.

"Wan' a closer look?" Hagrid asked Madame Maxime excitedly.

Dragons. Of all the insane things I had seen at Hogwarts and in the Forbidden Forest, I had never thought we would see dragons. I thought being near baby Norbert was the closest I would ever come to being near a dragon. Hagrid and Madam Maxime moved right up to the fence, and Harry and I followed. The wizard who had warned Hagrid not to come any closer turned, and I realized who it was: Charlie Weasley. I was about to yell a greeting out when I remembered that he couldn't see us.

"All right, Hagrid?" Charlie panted, coming over to talk. "They should be okay now we put them out with a Sleeping Draft on the way here, thought it might be better for them to wake up in the dark and the quiet - but, as you saw, they weren't happy, not happy at all."

"What breeds you got here, Charlie?" Hagrid asked, gazing at the closest dragon, the black one, with something close to reverence.

The black dragon's eyes were still just open. I could see a strip of gleaming yellow beneath its wrinkled black eyelid. "This is a Hungarian Horntail," Charlie said, pointing to the black one. "There's a Common Welsh Green over there, the smaller one - a Swedish Short-Snout, that blue-gray - and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red. You remember your friend, the Norwegian Ridgeback?"

Hagrid smiled fondly. "O' course."

So, it was Norbert. Some part of me wanted to go up to the now-massive dragon. The last time I had seen Norbert, he had still been able to fit inside a large dog crate. That was how we had transported Norbert to Charlie and his friends three years ago. I knew that the Norwegian Ridgeback wasn't the same as he had been when we'd known him. He was full-grown now and seemed to have an attitude problem. Charlie looked around; Madame Maxime was strolling away around the edge of the enclosure, gazing at the stunned dragons.

"I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid," Charlie said, frowning. "The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming - she's bound to tell her student, isn't she?"

"Champions?" I asked, my throat going dry.

"Does that mean...?"

Harry trailed off as my gaze trailed over the dragons again. The math made perfect sense. "Harry - look at how many of them there are! Five dragons. Five of us," I said, my stomach threatening to show me my dinner again.

"Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em," Hagrid shrugged, still gazing, enraptured, at the dragons.

"Really romantic date, Hagrid," Charlie said, shaking his head.

"Five. So it's one fer each o' the champions, is it?" Hagrid asked. "What've they gotta do - fight 'em?"

Harry and I turned to meet each other's eyes immediately. I was glad to see that he looked as terrified as I felt. "Oh, I am _not_ fighting one of them," I said, bile rising in my throat.

"Just get past them, I think," Charlie said flippantly. Get past them? How were we supposed to get past fire-breathing dragons without becoming their meal? "We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, Extinguishing Spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why, but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its back end's as dangerous as its front, look."

Charlie pointed toward the Horntail's tail and I saw long, bronze-colored spikes protruding along it every few inches. "Oh, good. Just in case getting burned alive wasn't bad enough," I whispered.

Harry snorted but it caught in his throat. I figured he was as freaked out as I was. "Not to mention the Ridgeback. Not only having to deal with fire but venom too?" Charlie continued.

"Nestin' mothers... but tha's Norbert!" Hagrid called.

Charlie chuckled as my eyebrow shot up. I hadn't seen that coming. We had always assumed Norbert was a male. "That's the dragon you once knew as Norbert. But he is a she, Hagrid. Female Norwegian Ridgebacks are notably more vicious than their male counterparts. We've renamed her Norberta," Charlie explained.

"Oh..." Hagrid muttered. "That explains the biting."

One more thing to look forward to. It turned out that we were supposed to be getting past the dragons, and it seemed that we would be facing the more vicious gender. That was lucky... Five of Charlie's fellow keepers staggered up to the Horntail at that moment, carrying a clutch of huge granite-gray eggs between them in a blanket. I raised a brow. What were they doing? The wizards placed the strange eggs carefully at the Horntail's side. Hagrid let out a moan of longing.

"I've got them counted, Hagrid," Charlie said sternly. Then he said, "How are Harry and Tara?"

"Fine," Hagrid said. He was still gazing at the eggs.

"Fine?" I repeated, making Harry chuckle.

"Just hope they're still fine after they've faced this lot," Charlie said grimly, looking out over the dragons' enclosure. "I didn't dare tell Mum what they've got to do for the first task; she's already having kittens about them." Charlie imitated his mother's anxious voice. "How could they let them enter that tournament, they're much too young! I thought they were all safe, I thought there was going to be an age limit!' She was in floods after that Daily Prophet article about them. 'He still cries about his parents! Oh, bless him, I never knew!' She didn't believe the bullocks about Tara though. She practically had to hold down Julia to keep her from going after Skeeter herself."

"Well, I suppose that's relieving," I muttered.

"You know she wouldn't believe that. No one does," Harry said.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"No one that matters," Harry corrected himself. "Come on."

One glance down at Harry's watch told me that we were going to be close to missing Sirius. We would almost have to sprint to make it back to the Gryffindor Common Room in time. With one last look at the dragons, I decided that I had had enough. Trusting to the fact that Hagrid wouldn't miss either one of us, with the attractions of five dragons and Madame Maxime to occupy him, Harry and I turned silently and began to walk away, back to the castle, as quickly as possible.

"Dragons!" I gasped, once I was positive that we were out of earshot of Hagrid and Madam Maxime. "Dad mentioned that it would be tough but he didn't say anything about dragons! Harry, what the hell are we supposed to do?"

"I'm not sure. How do we beat dragons?" Harry asked.

"Not the slightest," I admitted. There was a reason people didn't hang around dragons. There was no way of taming them. "Oh, dragons... Who would have thought we'd be trying to get past dragons?"

"What do we do?" Harry asked.

"No idea. Do our best, I suppose," I said.

I didn't know whether I was glad I had seen what was coming or not. Perhaps this way was better. The first shock was over now. Maybe if I would have seen the dragons for the first time on Tuesday, I would have passed out cold in front of the whole school. But maybe I would anyway. I felt that way now. I was going to be armed with my wand - which, just now, felt like nothing more than a narrow strip of wood - against a fifty-foot-high, scaly, spike-ridden, fire-breathing dragon. And I had to get past it. With everyone watching. How?

Determined that I wasn't going to think about the dragons until the morning, I took Harry's hand and sped up. "We need to get to Sirius. We can deal with the dragons... Tuesday, I guess," I muttered.

"Dragons... Stonewall High doesn't sound too bad right about now," Harry said.

We exchanged a quick look and chuckled nervously. My grip on his hand tightened as he raised my hand to his heart. I could feel it pounding under his ribs. Unwilling to talk or think about the dragons anymore tonight, Harry and I sped up, skirting the edge of the forest. We had just under fifteen minutes to get back to the fireside and talk to Sirius, and I couldn't remember, ever, wanting to talk to someone more than I did right now. We were close to the castle when, without warning, I ran into something very solid.

Both Harry and I fell backward, each clutching the cloak around us. A voice nearby said, "Ouch! Who's there?"

For a moment, I thought we had run back into Hagrid or Madam Maxime. The body next to us was massive. Had we somehow managed to circle back? If so, we would have to sprint to make it to the castle in time. I hastily checked that the cloak was covering both of us and stayed very still, staring up at the dark outline of the wizard we had hit. I recognized the goatee. It was Karkaroff. Harry looked like he was about to open his mouth and ask if I was okay when I lunged after him and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Who's there?" Karkaroff called again, very suspiciously, looking around in the darkness.

Both Harry and I remained still and silent. His hands were on my waist to keep me from tripping over his feet and my hand was over his mouth to keep him from saying anything. After a minute or so, Karkaroff seemed to decide that he had hit some sort of animal and not a few students under an Invisibility Cloak. He was looking around at waist height, as though expecting to see a dog. Then he crept back under the cover of the trees and started to edge forward toward the place where the dragons were.

Naturally. He was trying to find out what the First Task was so he could tip off Krum. Everyone was going to know what we were walking into on Tuesday. I wondered if this was traditional for the Triwizard Tournament. Did champions and teachers always cheat their way through the competition? Very slowly and very carefully, Harry and I straightened up and set off again as fast as we could without making too much noise, hurrying through the darkness back toward Hogwarts.

"Think he was trying to give Krum a head's up?" Harry asked me quietly.

"No doubt," I responded.

Based on the look in Harry's eyes I figured that neither one of us had any doubt whatsoever what Karkaroff was up to. He had sneaked off his ship to try and find out what the First Task was going to be. He might even have spotted Hagrid and Madame Maxime heading off around the forest together - they were hardly difficult to spot at a distance. Now all Karkaroff had to do was follow the sound of voices, and he, like Madame Maxime, would know what was in store for the champions.

By the looks of it, the only champion who would be facing the unknown on Tuesday was Cedric. As hard as I tried to think about something other than the First Task, the thought of Cedric facing the unknown was weighing heavily on my mind. I knew that Cedric was smart enough to figure things out without a warning but I also knew that it was unfair. Everyone would know what they were facing except for him. He should have at least be on the same playing field as the other champions.

But I cared about him, too. He was one of my best friends and I still wanted to be with him. He deserved to know. I knew that Cedric would have told me if he knew what the First Task was. He needed to know. I quickly resolved myself to tell Cedric the truth in the morning. That was when I would worry about the dragons. After a few minutes, Harry and I reached the castle, slipped in through the front doors, and began to climb the marble stairs. By now we were both very out of breath, but we didn't dare slow down. We had less than five minutes to get up to the fire.

"Balderdash!" Harry gasped at the Fat Lady, who was snoozing in her frame in front of the portrait hole.

"If you say so," she muttered sleepily, without opening her eyes, and the picture swung forward to admit us.

Almost falling over the edge of the portrait, Harry and I climbed inside. I had figured that I would be tired by the time our meeting with Sirius was scheduled, but I was wide-awake. The dragons had zapped any amount of tiredness from my body that I'd had earlier. The Common Room was deserted, thankfully, and judging by the fact that it smelled quite normal, Hermione had not needed to set off any Dungbombs to ensure that Sirius, Harry, and I got privacy. I wondered if Fred had pulled people out.

"Just in time," I gasped.

"Think he's here?" Harry asked.

There was no sight of Sirius and I hadn't seen any hint of him on the way upstairs. "I don't see him," I said.

Once we were sure that no one else was around, Harry and I pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and threw ourselves into an armchair in front of the fire. I fell over his lap, resting against the back of the chair. The room was in semidarkness; the flames were the only source of light. Nearby, on a table, the Support Cedric Diggory! badges the Creevey's had been trying to improve were glinting in the firelight. They now read POTTER REALLY STINKS and NOX REALLY SUCKS. I rolled my eyes. I then looked back into the flames and jumped.

Harry's mouth dropped open when I shoved an elbow into his stomach. "Quiet!" I hissed, before turning back to the fire. "Hey, Sirius."

It seemed a little stupid now, thinking that Sirius would risk coming to Hogwarts. I should have known that he was a bit smarter than that. It was too big a risk for him. Sirius's head was sitting clearly in the fire. I figured that if Harry hadn't seen Mr. Diggory do exactly that back in the Weasleys' kitchen, it would have scared him out of his wits. He almost had screamed. Instead, both of our faces broke into the first smile we had worn for days and we scrambled out of our chairs, crouching down by the hearth.

"Sirius - how're you doing?" Harry asked.

"Hi, Sirius," I greeted.

Sirius looked different from my memory of him. I liked the way he looked now. He looked like a human being, not the near-skeleton he had been the last time we'd seen each other. When we had said goodbye a few months ago, Sirius's face had been gaunt and sunken, surrounded by a quantity of long, black, matted hair. The hair he was sporting today was short and clean, Sirius's face was fuller, and he looked younger, much more like the old photographs of him my parents had shown me over the summer.

"You look good," I added.

"As do the both of you. And never mind me, how are you two?" Sirius asked seriously.

"I'm -"

My jaw fell open to tell him that we were fine and to ask what he had been doing, but I couldn't bring the words to my lips. Instead, the truth slipped out. "We've been... shitty," I said.

Sirius laughed in the way only a godfather could. "Tell me."

Before either one of us could stop ourselves, we were talking more than we had talked in days - about how no one believed we hadn't entered the tournament of our free wills, how Rita Skeeter had lied about both of us in the Daily Prophet, how neither one of us could walk down a corridor without being sneered at, and about Ron. Harry spoke a lot about Ron not believing him and his jealousy. To Sirius's credit, he even let me speak about the ruined state of my relationship with Cedric and where we were supposed to go from here.

"... and now Hagrid's just shown us what's coming in the First Task, and it's dragons, Sirius, and I'm a goner," Harry finished desperately.

"Okay, maybe you are but I'm not giving up that quickly," I said, the playful edge only half-there in my voice.

Harry shoved me gently and said, "Thanks, Tara."

The rest of our problems could be fixed with time. The dragons were our number one problem for now. "Look, we're stuck in this situation. Might as well try to keep ourselves in one piece," I said.

Sirius looked at us both, eyes full of concern, eyes that had not yet lost the look that Azkaban had given them - that deadened, haunted look. He had let Harry and I talk ourselves into silence without interruption, but now he said, "Dragons we can deal with, but we'll get to that in a minute - I haven't got long here. I've broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time."

My heart skipped a beat. He was joking. He had risked his safety to listen to us rant about our problems? Was he out of his mind? "What? You need to get out of there!" I snapped hastily. "You can't get caught, Sirius."

"I won't," Sirius promised. "There are things I need to warn you both about."

"What?" Harry asked.

The hope in my chest dwindled as I felt my spirits slip a further few notches. Surely there could be nothing worse than dragons coming? That was all I could pray for. "Remember that we're already about this close to snapping," I warned nervously.

"I wouldn't say anything if I didn't think you both deserved to know. Karkaroff," Sirius said. My eyebrow arched. Karkaroff was creepy but I didn't know what he meant. "He was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don't you?"

"Yes - he - what?" Harry asked.

I'd known that Karkaroff had a lot of problems and I had known that he was once a Death Eater, but why was this being brought up now? "He was caught, he was in Azkaban with me, but he got released. I'd bet everything that's why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year - to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. Put him into Azkaban in the first place," Sirius suggested.

"You think that's why Dumbledore hired Moody?" I asked slowly.

"It has to be," Sirius said.

"Karkaroff got released?" Harry asked slowly. "Why did they release him?"

"He did a deal with the Ministry of Magic," Sirius said bitterly. My heart sank. I knew he hated Azkaban but sometimes I forgot just how much of a toll his time in the wizarding prison had done to him. "He said he'd seen the error of his ways, and then he named names. He put a load of other people into Azkaban in his place."

"He must not be very popular," I said quietly.

"No, he's not very popular in there at all, I can tell you," Sirius confirmed. "And since he got out, from what I can tell, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well."

"Krum's a little broody but I don't think he's diabolical," I said.

"Okay," Harry said slowly. We exchanged a quick look. "But... are you saying Karkaroff put our names in the goblet? Because if he did, he's a really good actor. He seemed furious about it. He wanted to stop us from competing."

"We know he's a good actor because he convinced the Ministry of Magic to set him free, didn't he?" Sirius pointed out. I supposed he was right about that. "Now, I've been keeping an eye on the Daily Prophet -"

"- you and the rest of the world," Harry said bitterly.

"It's not true!" I gasped.

"I know that," Sirius confirmed. "I've been reading between the lines of that Skeeter woman's article last month, Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. Yes, I know she says it was another false alarm," Sirius added hastily, seeing both Harry and I were about to speak, "but I don't think so, somehow. I think someone tried to stop him from getting to Hogwarts. I think someone knew their job would be a lot more difficult with him around. And no one's going to look into it too closely; Mad-Eye's heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn't mean he can't still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had."

"So... what are you saying?" Harry asked slowly. "Karkaroff's trying to kill us? But - why?"

Sirius hesitated. "Why does anyone try to kill us?" I asked. "I think they like it."

It was enough to make Harry's lips twitch upward. Sirius's face remained stony. "I've been hearing some very strange things. The Death Eaters seem to be a bit more active than usual lately," Sirius said. My stomach churned at the thought. Usually, they didn't act without their ringleader. "They showed themselves at the Quidditch World Cup, didn't they? Someone set off the Dark Mark... and then did you hear about that Ministry of Magic witch who's gone missing?"

"Bertha Jorkins?" Harry asked.

"Exactly. She disappeared in Albania, and that's definitely where Voldemort was rumored to be last... and she would have known the Triwizard Tournament was coming up, wouldn't she?"

"Everyone's always said she's a little scatterbrained though," I commented.

"Not that much," Sirius said.

"Yeah, but... it's not very likely she'd have walked straight into Voldemort, is it?" Harry asked.

Albania was a small country but big enough to not risk running into Voldemort in the market. "Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins," Sirius said grimly. "She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years above your dads and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all. It's not a good combination. I'd say she'd be very easy to lure into a trap."

"But why attack her?" I asked.

Sirius shook his head. "I'm not sure. It could be a draw of power."

"So, Voldemort could have found out about the tournament?" Harry asked nervously. My stomach lurched again. If Voldemort knew about the tournament he could have easily ensured that Harry and I were competing with the hopes that we would be killed. "Is that what you mean? You think Karkaroff might be here on his orders?"

"I don't know, I just don't know," Sirius said slowly. He looked as annoyed as we were that he didn't know for sure who had put our names in the Goblet of Fire. "Karkaroff doesn't strike me as the type who'd go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him. But whoever put your names in that goblet did it for a reason, and I can't help thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you both and make it look like an accident."

"That's reassuring," I huffed.

"Looks like a really good plan from where I'm standing," Harry said, grinning bleakly. Sirius smiled slightly as I leaned my head on Harry's shoulder. "They'll just have to stand back and let the dragons do their stuff."

"We're not getting killed by a couple of dragons," I snapped.

If we were going to be killed, it would be in a magnificent duel with Voldemort protecting the Wizarding World, not getting broiled alive by a couple of overgrown lizards. "Right - these dragons," Sirius said, speaking very quickly now. "There's a way." Both Harry and I leaned forward. "Don't be tempted to try a Stunning Spell - dragons are strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by a single Stunner, you need about half a dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon -"

"Yeah, we know, we just saw," Harry interrupted.

"But you can do it alone. There is a way, and a simple spell's all you need," Sirius said.

"Great!" I chirped, hope bubbling in my chest for the first time all day. "What is it?"

"Just -"

If we could survive the dragons, we could worry about Voldemort and who had put our names in the Goblet of Fire later. All we had to do was make sure we survived the next few days. I was eager to hear the solution to our problem but Harry held up a hand to silence Sirius. I was about to snap at him to let our godfather speak when I realized what the problem was. My heart suddenly pounding as though it would burst, just as it had when I'd seen the dragons. I could hear footsteps coming down the spiral staircase behind us.

"You need to leave!" I warned Sirius as quietly and urgently as I could.

"Go!" Harry hissed at Sirius. "Go! There's someone coming!"

Harry and I scrambled to our feet, hiding the fire behind our bodies. If someone saw Sirius's face within the walls of Hogwarts, they would raise an almighty uproar - the Ministry would get dragged in - Harry and I would be questioned about Sirius's whereabouts. I heard a tiny pop in the fire behind us and I knew Sirius had gone back to his hiding spot. I watched the bottom of the spiral staircase. Who had decided to go for a stroll at one o'clock in the morning, and stopped Sirius from telling us how to get past a dragon?

It was Ron. Dressed in his maroon paisley pajamas, Ron stopped dead facing Harry and me across the room and looked around. "Going somewhere?" I asked awkwardly.

"Who were you two talking to?" Ron asked, otherwise ignoring my question.

"What's that got to do with you?" Harry snarled. "What are you doing down here at this time of night?"

"I just wondered where you -" Ron broke off, shrugging. "Nothing. I'm going back to bed."

"Just thought you'd come nosing around, did you?" Harry shouted.

"Shut up! It's the middle of the night," I snapped at the boys. The last thing we needed was to draw a crowd who would be wondering what we were all doing awake. I scowled at Ron. "We're a little busy thinking about what kind of life-threatening task we'll be facing in a few days if you'd like to discuss how we're going to die with us?"

In the back of my mind, I knew that I was wrong to snap at Ron. He hadn't deserved this one. I knew that Ron had no idea what he'd walked in on and I knew that he hadn't done it on purpose. Hell, it seemed that he was coming downstairs to check and see if Harry was okay. But I didn't care. Judging by the look on Harry's face, he didn't care either. At that moment, I hated everything about Ron, right down to the several inches of bare ankle showing beneath his pajama trousers.

"Sorry about that," Ron said, his face reddening with anger. "Should've realized you two didn't want to be disturbed. I'll let you both get on with practicing for your next interview in peace."

Did Ron honestly think that either one of us had enjoyed the 'interviews' that had been written about us? Harry looked like a blubbering moron that cried over his parents every night and I sounded like a lady of the night who couldn't keep a man interested. As angry as I was with Ron, I was surprised to see Harry seize one of the POTTER REALLY STINKS badges off the table and chuck it, seemingly as hard as he could, across the room. It hit Ron on the forehead and bounced off.

I'd gotten physical with a few people since things had gone sideways, but I'd never seriously thought about hitting Ron. "Harry -"

"There you go," Harry interrupted me, speaking to Ron. "Something for you to wear on Tuesday. You might even have a scar now if you're lucky. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Harry, take it easy," I whispered, taking his arm in mine.

Ron was being a prat these days but some part of me didn't want to cause any permanent damage to our friendship. "Goodnight, Tara. We can talk about it in the morning," Harry said.

Harry strode across the room toward the stairs. I half expected Ron to stop him, but Ron just stood there in his too-small pajamas. I stared at Ron for a moment longer before moving past him. We gave each other a long look as I passed, unsure of what I could say. I moved upstairs as quickly as possible, changed out of my day clothes, and flopped into bed, where I laid thinking about the dragons for a long time afterward. It startled me slightly when Hermione woke up and looked over at me.

She spoke with a lowered voice. "What did Hagrid want?"

 _To show me the last thing I'll see before I die_. I thought about telling Hermione what had happened but I noticed Lavender shift in her bed. It wasn't the right time. "Go back to bed. We've got a lot to discuss in the morning," I said. With a worried look, Hermione nodded and drifted off, though I remained awake until the sun was peeking over the horizon.

 **A/N: _Next time..._** _Tara faces the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament._ Oh, I know, I couldn't resist throwing a little more angst in there! Not to fear, Cedric and Tara are still on the path to mending their relationship. I promise one more quick update (hopefully in a week or so) before I'm going to take a bit of a break to update some of my other stories. As always, thanks for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A

 **Ghostie1701: Poor Tara is going out of her mind with the students and teachers at Hogwarts lol. I've been doing okay with the outbreak. I'm actually still going to work as I'm considered essential. I hope you're doing well too! I'm glad that you were happy to see Tara and Cedric make up! They're still on the road to fully getting back together. I know, I would love a guy like Cedric! The lake is the only task I haven't fully figured out yet, so we'll see how that goes. I hope you liked seeing Marcus in this chapter!**

 **slyqueen: I'm glad you liked the chapter and that you thought it was worth the wait! I adore Fred and he did take a bit of a step back in this chapter. You're right, it is Tara and Cedric's moment! Cedric will never give up on Tara. He thinks the world of her. Well, I'm both sorry and happy to hear that I can make you cry! Stay safe out there!**

 **Vincent FGS91: Thank you! I've been okay, I'm still working so life hasn't changed too much for me. The weekends are a little boring though. How have you been with everything that's going on?**

 **Son of Whitebeard: Yes! Lots of secret conversations going around. I hope you liked this one!**

 **Taylor: I figure when I get those nasty reviews that they're usually trolls. They don't bother me too much. Either way, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!**

 **Mika: You're right, Harry does deserve a break and he should get to go to the Yule Ball with Cho Chang! But since when have I done that for my characters? I hope you liked this one!**

 **Guest: Thank you! I'm so glad to hear that you liked the last one! I hate Skeeter so much, she's one of the worst characters in the franchise to me so I had to make Tara go after her. I hope you liked this one!**


	21. The First Task

When I woke up on Sunday morning, there was only one thing on my mind. I had to tell Cedric about the dragons. He couldn't be the only champion that didn't know what was coming. I dressed so inattentively that it was a while before I realized I was putting on a clean pair of pajamas rather than a pair of day clothes. I rolled my eyes but didn't worry about it. I could change later. It was early and everyone else in the dorm was still asleep. I could come back and tell Hermione about the dragons later. I had to get to Cedric before his fans did.

It was early enough that most people were still asleep but there would still be a decent crowd in the Great Hall, which meant that a lot of people would see us talking. I knew that I would hear it from the students in Hogwarts over the next few days but I needed to talk to Cedric and I needed no one to be around when I did. It meant I needed to ask him for a private moment, which I was sure would spurn more rumors. I walked into the Great Hall at just past seven in the morning and spotted Cedric at the Hufflepuff table.

It was a good thing he was an early riser. "Cedric," I called, walking up to him.

Cedric turned back with a smile but he wasn't the first person to speak. It was Hannah Abbott. "What do you think you're -?"

"Go to hell," I interrupted, barely turning to look at her. Hannah looked shocked that I had said something like that to her - as she had once been my friend - but Cedric was grinning slightly. I turned back to him. "Can I talk to you?"

Cedric nodded. "Always."

There was a vague grin on his face as we walked out of the Great Hall together, every eye following us. My blush burned from my cheeks down my chest, but I forced myself to hold my head high. I could hear the students whispering that we were going off for a quick bonding session, laughter and chatter following us. Cedric looked like he barely noticed but my face was burning with embarrassment as I dragged him into the entrance hall. I was glad that it was early enough that no teachers were around to question what we were doing.

As I tried to figure out how to approach the subject, Cedric smiled, looking me up and down. "Did you forget to get dressed this morning?"

"What?" I asked dumbly.

"You're in your pajamas," Cedric pointed out. I looked down at my plaid shorts and black tank top blankly. Idiot... I was trying to string my words together when Cedric seemed to have finally noticed that I was paler than normal. "Are you okay?"

"I know what the First Task is," I blurted out. Cedric's face fell as he stared at me. When he opened his mouth I spoke over him quickly. "I didn't cheat!"

"I wasn't accusing you," Cedric replied. "How did you find out?"

Even though I knew Cedric would keep Hagrid's secret safe, I didn't want to put that on his mind. It was the same reason I hadn't told him about Sirius. "Someone showed me. I wasn't looking to find out and I didn't want to find out," I explained.

"Who showed you?" Cedric asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter. It wasn't my dad, though," I said, realizing he would probably think it was my dad.

"I didn't think it would be," Cedric said.

As much as my father probably wanted me to win, I knew he wasn't going to flat-out tell me what I should expect. "Listen, everyone else already knows. We - Harry and I - saw Karkaroff and Maxime out there. I know they're going to tell Fleur and Krum. I couldn't stand the thought of you being the only person who didn't know," I told him.

Cedric nodded. "Thank you. What is it?"

"Dragons," I answered.

I'd meant for it to come out a little better than that, but it was all I could manage. "What?" Cedric asked, his voice strained.

"Dragons," I repeated, running my hands over my arms as a chill settled over me. "There are five of them. One for each of us. I don't know what we're doing; someone said we would be trying to get past them. I would guess they're guarding something we're supposed to take or standing in front of the finish platform. Maybe it's timed. I have no idea."

"Dragons…" Cedric whispered disbelievingly.

"Regretting becoming a champion yet?" I joked, feeling like I would cry otherwise.

Cedric chuckled. "Not because of the dragons," he said, gently nudging me. I smiled. "Thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome." We smiled at each other as Cedric turned to walk back to the Great Hall. I wasn't sure if it was because I didn't want to end our conversation or if I genuinely wanted to help him, but I grabbed his arm to keep him from walking away. "Wait!" I gasped. Cedric turned back to me. "I can do better than just tell you about the task. I know the breeds."

Cedric nodded and motioned for me to come with him. "Come on. I know where we can go."

We had to go somewhere no one else would find us. I knew if someone saw that we were going over a book on dragons, we would get ourselves in a ton of trouble. They would believe that we had cheated. Cedric grabbed my hand and pulled me with him. We darted up the stairs and headed toward the center of the castle. For a moment I believed that we were going up to the Astronomy Tower but Cedric pulled us off on the fifth floor. We were going to the Prefect bathroom. Cedric gave the password and we quickly slipped inside.

The door shut gently behind us and I walked toward the bathtub as Cedric pulled out some towels for us to sit on. "What if someone comes in?" I asked nervously.

The last thing I needed was more rumors. "The door's locked," Cedric said, clunking the lock behind us. "No one will bother us."

"They're going to think you're taking the longest bath of your life," I joked.

"Or having another rendezvous with you," Cedric teased. My eyes narrowed into slits as I glared at him. Cedric's chuckles faded as he realized I wasn't amused. He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, not ready to joke about it yet."

"You'd be so lucky," I huffed.

"Ah, so you're allowed to joke about it?" Cedric asked.

"Who said I was joking?" I shot back. Cedric barked out a laugh as I threw down a towel and flopped onto it. We could circle back to that conversation. I was still giggling as I pulled out my copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. "Okay, five different breeds for the five different champions. The Common Welsh Green, Swedish Short-Snout, Chinese Fireball, Hungarian Horntail, and Norwegian Ridgeback."

"Split them?" Cedric offered.

"You take the first three and I'll take the last two," I said.

We both nodded as we went over the book and read up on our dragons. Cedric read his book as it was propped up on my knees. His hands laid across my thighs. I kept my feet up in his lap as I flipped through the short pages on the dragons. We spent almost an hour reading up on the dragons and each thing I read about each respective dragon made me more and more nervous. It got so bad that I felt like I was going to throw up once I had gone over what seemed to be the two most dangerous dragons.

As the clock chimed the new hour I glanced up at Cedric with my notes in my lap. "What do you have?" I asked.

"Well, whoever gets the Common Welsh Green is lucky," Cedric said. I sent a quick prayer to whoever was listening that I drew the Welsh Green. "It says that they're a relatively subdued breed. They prefer to prey mainly on sheep and other small mammals and to avoid human contact altogether. Their roar is somewhat melodious and it issues its fire in narrow jets."

"What about the Swedish Short-Snout?" I asked.

"It's best known for its powerful flame that is a brilliant blue color and hot enough to reduce timber and bone to ashes in seconds. It prefers to live in wild, uninhabited areas. Since it rarely comes into contact with humans, it has fewer deaths to its name than most dragons. However, it is a dangerous species due to its agile flying and extremely hot fire," Cedric said.

His voice was toneless. I imagined it was all he could do to keep from panicking. "Lovely," I said, swallowing at the thought of how painful being burned alive would be. "The Chinese Fireball?"

"It shoots mushroom-shaped flames that come from its nostrils when angered, along with the large mushroom-shaped flame it shoots from its mouth. It's aggressive but more tolerant of its own kind. They're also mentioned to be very fast and clever," Cedric said.

That was the only dragon that I'd come up with an immediate plan for. "Well, if you got that one you could try conjuring an illusion of another dragon," I commented.

Cedric hummed. "That's a good idea."

"Thanks," I said. "I kind of wish we hadn't done this now."

Hearing about the dragons and seeing the drawings of them had made my stomach churn. I was threatening to show last night's dinner now. Cedric chuckled as he glanced at my paper. "What about the other two?" he asked.

"For the Norwegian Ridgeback, it resembles the Hungarian Horntail, except for the black ridges on its back, the browner texture in its scales, and its less hostile attitude. It has venomous fangs, and its food of choice is large mammals, including water mammals. Young Ridgebacks develop the ability to shoot flame earlier than any other breeds and the females are generally more ferocious than the males. All the dragons are females, by the way," I explained.

"Lucky for whoever gets that one," Cedric said, laughing weakly.

"Me, probably," I muttered.

"Don't think that way. What about the Hungarian Horntail?" Cedric asked.

"I don't want to be the person who gets it," I said honestly. "It has spikes that protrude from its tail and its flame can reach about fifty feet. While having a very far-reaching flame the Horntail's breath can reach extremely high temperatures. Its foods of choice include cattle, sheep, goats, and whenever possible, humans."

"That's nice," Cedric said, swallowing thickly.

"I'm not done. Horntails are also known for being one of the most vicious and aggressive breeds of dragon. They're especially aggressive when protecting their young and are extremely fast in flight," I finished.

"Well, none of them sound appealing," Cedric said.

There was no better way to describe it. That was probably the nicest way we could put it. "We're agreed there. Charlie Weasley was there when we saw the dragons. I heard him say that he felt bad for the champions who got the Norwegian Ridgeback and the Hungarian Horntail," I commented. The idea of battling a dragon that was venomous or had a taste for humans was horrifying. "Bet you Harry and I will get those."

Cedric shook his head, taking my hand comfortingly. "Don't say that. It's probably going to be a random draw."

"When has luck ever been on my side?" I asked, chuckling slightly.

I'd encountered Voldemort when I was in my First Year, been bitten by a Basilisk in my second, and nearly been killed by a werewolf in my third. Luck wasn't something I'd ever had. "Your father won't let you die," Cedric pointed out.

Death wasn't what I was afraid of. I had very little doubt that I would survive. I was concerned about how I would be walking out of the task or if I would be able to. "No, but I don't want my hair to get singed off either," I said, taking my long hair over my shoulder. Cedric laughed at my brief moment of vanity. "Do you have any ideas about what you're going to do?"

"A few," Cedric said. My heart sank. He knew what he was going to do already? "Do you?"

"Yeah, move to Mexico," I huffed.

I'd been to Mexico a few times in my childhood. It was nice enough; it would make a good home. Cedric laughed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "I would miss you," he said.

I smiled as I looked up at him. "You could come with me."

"If we left would we ever come back?" Cedric asked.

"Probably not," I answered honestly.

We sat in silence for a few minutes as I watched the mermaids braid their hair in the stained glass windows. "I'm sorry for Ted and Michael," Cedric said, shattering the peaceful silence.

They were his best friends. As angry as I was with what they had said and what they were still saying, I didn't want Cedric to abandon them. It was only fair that he still had them in his life. After all, my friends had said some nasty things about Cedric over the years. I knew that what Ted and Michael had said was made as a joke; I had a feeling they hadn't known just how much it would affect me. Cedric was angry with them right now and that was okay, but I didn't want him to disown them.

"They're trying to win you back," I pointed out. "They look guilty."

"They are," Cedric said.

"Of?" I asked.

"Hurting my girlfriend's feelings." Cedric frowned as I pressed a kiss against his shoulder. That much was fair. "Even if they meant it as a joke, it wasn't funny. It hurt you and hurt my relationship with you." I smiled. It had hurt us, but I had to believe that we would come out of this on the other side as a stronger couple. "I can't believe Rita Skeeter would write something like that or that the Daily Prophet would publish it; the personal lives of teenagers. It's disgusting," Cedric sneered.

"In the Muggle world, it's illegal," I said. "It would be considered something like child pornography."

"The one time I wish we lived in the Muggle world," Cedric commented.

We both laughed. "It was disgusting, yes, but it sold copies, didn't it?" I asked.

"You know, you've surprised me with some of the things you've said over the years. One of the things that used to surprise me was when you said you could kill someone. I know how it feels to be angry but I've never felt that angry. Until I saw that article, at least. That was when I finally understood what it took to make someone that angry," Cedric said.

"Why would it make you that angry?" I asked. "It made you sound awesome. It made _me_ look like an idiot."

"Because something like that isn't her business. It's none of theirs. If it ever comes down to that, or even if it doesn't, it's no one's business but ours," Cedric said.

"If it ever comes down to that. You make it sound like a bad thing," I said, giggling slightly.

"Not at all," Cedric countered. My blush returned, starting at my cheeks and shifting down my chest. "I'm sorry the article and everything that's happened afterward hurt you." I shrugged. It wasn't his fault. "If it means anything, I've told them to stop wearing the badges and lay off."

"I appreciate that, but you're a bystander at this point. It's taken on a life of its own," I pointed out.

"I'm so -"

"What good will saying sorry do at this point?" I interrupted, knowing that was where he was going with the conversation. Cedric fell silent. "Nothing. We're both sorry. I'm sorry that my name got put in the goblet in the first place. You're sorry that you didn't immediately believe me. I'm sorry I overreacted. You're sorry you didn't stop people from teasing me quickly enough." Cedric swallowed at that comment. "We're both sorry that we didn't fight hard enough for our relationship."

Cedric shook his head and said, "I'm not done fighting."

That was what I wanted to hear. I just wanted to know that Cedric wasn't done fighting for us. I smiled at Cedric and he smiled back at me as I leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his cheek. I wanted to stay, but if I didn't leave now, I would be here all day. "I should go find Hermione and Harry," I said, pulling away from him. "You have some studying to do and... I have a lot of studying to do."

Cedric chuckled. "I'll say," he teased. I rolled my eyes as I shoved him away from me. "Hey, if you can't figure out what you're going to do come to me. I'll help."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Please, I can do much better than you."

Cedric raised an eyebrow curiously. "In the task?" he asked.

I smirked. It was the perfect opportunity to mess with him. "Among other things," I added quietly.

Cedric laughed as I hopped to my feet and shot him a wink. "Tara!" Cedric barked. I giggled again as I turned and darted out of the Prefect bathroom. He was at my heels from the get-go and caught up to me in seconds. I laughed madly as he wrapped an arm around my waist and leaned down, putting his mouth to my ear and lowering his voice. "I can do no better than Tara Nox. I know that."

A monstrous blush flooded my face as his mouth brushed over my neck and under my ear. As he pulled away, he noticed the goosebumps running over my arms. He chuckled and winked at me as we exchanged goodbyes and I turned to leave before I did something stupid. As much as I wanted to hang around and talk to him, I knew that I needed to go and figure out what I was going to do with my dragon. First thing was first, I had to find my friends. I found Harry and Hermione where I expected, near the back of the library, pouring over spellbooks.

"Hey," I greeted them, taking the empty spot on the other side of their bench. "I figured you two would be here."

"Where were you all morning?" Hermione asked, by way of greeting. "I woke up and you were gone."

"Sorry, I had a few things to do," I said, not wanting to admit that I had been telling Cedric what we would be facing in two days. "I thought I'd be back before you woke up. You told her?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"About everything?" I asked.

"Karkaroff and the dragons," Harry clarified.

"We can deal with Karkaroff once we've survived the dragons," I said.

"That was my idea," Hermione said.

"Any brilliant ideas?" I asked.

If there was someone I could count on to give me an idea for the First Task, it was Hermione. "None that wouldn't be guaranteed to not make the dragons angrier," Hermione said.

There went that idea. "Awesome," I groaned.

Hermione looked me up and down. "You're in your pajamas, you know?" she asked.

"Yeah, I wanted to be comfortable before I get burned to a crisp. Leave it alone," I snapped. Hermione blushed slightly as she looked the other way. "Two days. I can't believe we only have two days to figure out how to battle a dragon."

"Remember, you weren't supposed to have any time," Hermione pointed out.

"Mione?" I said, turning to look at her. "Yeah, not helpful."

She gave me a slightly bashful look as she went back to reading. "Well, there are Switching Spells. But what's the point of Switching it? Unless you swapped its fangs for wine-gums or something that would make it less dangerous. The trouble is, like that book said, not much is going to get through a dragon's hide. I'd say Transfigure it, but something that big, you haven't got a hope, I doubt even Professor McGonagall... unless you're supposed to put the spell on yourself? Maybe to give yourself extra powers? But they're not simple spells, I mean, we haven't done any of those in class, I only know about them because I've been doing O.W.L. practice papers."

"Hermione, will you shut up for a bit, please?" Harry asked through gritted teeth. "I'm trying to concentrate."

"Or I'll figure out a spell to shut you up," I warned.

Her yammering wasn't doing anything but making me nervous. Each time she came up with an idea, she shot it down as she thought we couldn't do it. I poured through almost twenty spell books throughout the afternoon and walked away with just a few ideas. I considered using the Water-Making Spell. It wouldn't do much but I figured that I could use it as somewhat of a shield if the dragon shot flames at me and I couldn't think fast enough to do anything else. But what if the water boiled and burned me when it splashed back?

It didn't seem to matter what I was thinking. Each time I came up with a plan something else got in the way. There was a concern I couldn't cast the spell or that it would be ineffective against a dragon. I considered using the Confundus Charm too. It would disorient the dragon long enough for me to do what needed to be done. The problem was that I wasn't sure whether or not the Confundus Charm would work on a dragon or if it was meant for human victims only. I didn't want to piss off the dragon. I wanted to keep its attention away from me.

The Confundus Charm may have been an interesting idea but I was afraid that it may not have worked. There was a chance that I would make the dragon bound and determined to kill me. After a while, I considered the Disillusionment Charm. It could hide people, after all. Again, there was the problem that I had never attempted it before. I wasn't sure if I could learn it in time. I also considered the Impediment Jinx. If I could get it to work I would keep knocking back or tripping the dragon. But what if it worked the other way and the dragon fell on top of me?

The thought was a little comical. Maybe I could at least get the judges to laugh. The other students definitely would. One of my last thoughts was using the Shield Charm. It normally just rebounded minor to moderate hexes, jinxes, and spells upon their caster. Could it work on an object as large as a dragon or extreme as dragon fire? Like the other spells, I had never attempted it and I knew that it was one of the most complicated spells students would learn. Many adults couldn't even produce the spell. What if it didn't work? I didn't want to rely on it.

There was no way I could rely on any one of the spells. It was Hermione's voice that broke my train of thought. "Oh no, he's back again, why can't he read on his stupid ship?" Hermione asked irritably as Viktor Krum slouched in, cast a surly look over at us, and settled himself in a distant corner with a pile of books.

What the hell was she so upset with Krum about? "Chill. He's just coming to read," I told her, trying to go back to my books. "He's probably trying to prepare for the First Task too."

"He should do it on his ship!" Hermione hissed. "Come on, we'll go back to the Common Room. His fan club will be here in a moment, twittering away."

"You've got issues with him," I told her. Krum had been mostly silent since coming to Hogwarts. I didn't understand what she was so uptight toward him for. "And, as we've all seen, it can be hard to get people to not talk about or follow you."

"Sorry," Hermione muttered.

"Yeah, whatever," I huffed.

It wasn't her fault that I had people whispering about me wherever I went. Hermione blushed slightly and I took her arm as we walked off, slinging mine over her shoulder. She chuckled slightly as we walked off. I turned back just long enough as we walked and saw Krum watching us. Or, more appropriately, her. I smirked at my feet. Perhaps Hermione had a bit of a romance on the horizon. Sure enough, as we left the library, a gang of girls tiptoed past us, one of them wearing a Bulgaria scarf tied around her waist. Hermione rolled her eyes.

It was well past midnight when I finally stopped studying and laid down to try and sleep. I barely slept that night. I only managed about two hours of sleep. When I awoke on Monday morning, I seriously considered for the first time just running away from Hogwarts. But as I looked around the Great Hall at breakfast time, and thought about what leaving the castle would mean, I knew I couldn't do it. This place was my home and these people - as annoyed as I may have gotten with them - were my best friends. They were the family I had made beyond my blood relatives.

Somehow, the knowledge that I would rather be here and facing a dragon than back on Privet Drive was good to know. I loved my family but I couldn't imagine walking away from Hogwarts. This place was going to set me up for my future. Leaving now would change my life for the worse. It made me feel slightly calmer. I was going to be okay. In two days, I would know I had been overreacting. I finished my bacon with difficulty (my throat wasn't working too well), and as Harry, Hermione, and I got up, I saw Cedric leaving the Hufflepuff table.

I wasn't the only one who was watching him, though. "Hermione, Tara, I'll see you in the greenhouses," Harry said; I noticed that he was watching Cedric leaving the Hall. "Go on, I'll catch up to you."

"Harry, you'll be late, the bell's about to ring -"

"I'll catch up, okay?" Harry interrupted Hermione.

"Go on," I told Hermione, looking back to Harry. "What are you doing?"

Harry stared at me for a moment before nodding. "Maybe best if you come with me."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to tell Cedric about the dragons."

"Oh," I said dumbly. For some reason, I didn't want Harry to know that I had already told Cedric about the dragons. I didn't want him to think I was trying to make sure Cedric won. We all had every right to fight for the win, including Harry. "Okay."

By the time Harry and I reached the bottom of the marble staircase, Cedric was at the top. He was with a load of Sixth-Year friends, including Ted and Michael. I stopped walking. I didn't want to talk to Cedric in front of them; they were among those who had been quoting Rita Skeeter's article at us every time we went near them. Harry pulled me to followed Cedric at a distance. He would be heading to Charms right now. Harry pulled me to a stop a short distance from them, pulled out his wand, and took careful aim.

" _Diffindo_!" Harry called.

Cedric's bag split. Parchment, quills, and books spilled out of it onto the floor. Several bottles of ink smashed. "Harry!" I sneered.

"I had to get him to stop," Harry said.

That didn't mean he needed to destroy Cedric's things. "Don't bother," Cedric said in an exasperated voice as his friends bent down to help him. "Tell Flitwick I'm coming, go on."

A pathetic warming sensation went through my chest. Cedric was such a sweetheart. He was always determined to handle things himself and didn't want to burden others. Judging by the look on Harry's face, Cedric's reaction was exactly what Harry had been hoping for. Harry slipped his wand back into his robes, waited until Cedric's friends had disappeared into their classroom, and hurried up the corridor, which was now empty of everyone but the three of us. I raced to catch up with Harry.

Cedric glanced up as we walked toward him. He smiled at me before turning to Harry. "Hi," Cedric greeted, picking up a copy of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration that was now splattered with ink.

"Hey," I replied nervously.

"My bag just split. Brand-new and all," Cedric complained.

"Cedric, the first task is dragons," Harry said quickly.

"What?" Cedric asked, looking up.

"Dragons," Harry said, speaking quickly. I glanced up to make sure Professor Flitwick wasn't coming out to see where Cedric was. "They've got five, one for each of us, and we've got to get past them."

Cedric sent a quick look in my direction. "Oh, but -" He was about to give away our conversation. I slid my hand over my neck back and forth a few times over Harry's head to keep Cedric from continuing his comment. I mouthed for Cedric to not say that he knew what was coming in the task. He nodded understandingly. "Are you sure?" Cedric asked in a hushed voice.

"Dead sure. We've seen them," Harry said, motioning to me.

"But how did you find out? We're not supposed to know," Cedric said.

Thank Merlin he didn't want to be an actor. He didn't sound sincere at all. Thankfully, Harry was too panicked to notice. "Never mind," Harry said quickly. I was glad to see that Harry wasn't going to give Hagrid away either. "But we're not the only ones who know. Fleur and Krum will know by now - Maxime and Karkaroff both saw the dragons too."

Cedric straightened up, his arms full of inky quills, parchment, and books, his ripped bag dangling off one shoulder. He stared at Harry, and there was a puzzled, almost suspicious look in his eyes. I stood back with a confused look on my face as I realized what Cedric was thinking. I had the perfect reason to tell Cedric. He had been one of my best friends for years and we had been - and still sort of were - dating. I hadn't wanted to be in the tournament. It only made sense that I would tell him as this was what he had wanted.

"Why are you telling me?" Cedric asked Harry.

While there were no romantic feelings between Harry and Cedric, I figured that it was for the same reason I had told him. It was fair. Harry looked at Cedric in disbelief. Whether or not it was because we were dating, I had to believe that Cedric would have told us if he had found out the truth. I would have told the Hogwarts champion the truth no matter who it was. Save Cho Chang, perhaps. I wouldn't have let my worst enemy face those monsters unprepared. A near-fatal mistake could be made during the task otherwise.

"It's just... fair, isn't it?" Harry asked Cedric. "We all know now. We're on an even footing, aren't we?"

It was interesting that Harry was willing to tell Cedric the truth even without me badgering him for it. Harry was a good person, just as Cedric was. They were just two very different people. I didn't know if I should say something to the boys or let them figure it out themselves. Cedric was still looking at Harry in a slightly suspicious way when I heard a familiar clunking noise behind us. My stomach churned as I turned around and saw Mad-Eye Moody emerging from a nearby classroom.

"Come with me, Potter," Moody growled. "Diggory, Nox, off you go."

All three of us stared apprehensively at Moody. Had he overheard us? Were we all about to get into a ton of trouble? "Um - Professor, I'm supposed to be in Herbology -"

"Never mind that, Potter. In my office, please."

"Save you a spot in the greenhouse," I muttered to Harry.

"See you," Harry replied.

Cedric and I stood together as we watched Harry and Moody walk off toward his office. The warning bells in my head went off considering they were alone together, but I knew Moody wouldn't do anything with two students knowing exactly where Harry was. I turned back to Cedric with a smile, running my hands through my hair nervously.

"Thanks for not mentioning I had already told you," I said.

"Of course," Cedric said, looking after Harry and Moody. "He looks nervous."

"Aren't you?" I asked.

"Well, yes, I am," Cedric said.

"I barely slept last night," I admitted.

Until I faced the dragons, I didn't think I would have another normal night's sleep. Cedric chuckled. "Do you know what you're going to do?" he asked.

"I've got an idea, but it's tough. What about you?" I asked.

"I'm thinking about trying to Transfigure something for the dragon to take after rather than me," Cedric explained. I hummed; that was a good idea. I would have considered it too if I were slightly better at Transfiguration. "I've gotten much better in Transfiguration lately."

"Good idea," I said.

"What's your idea?" Cedric asked.

"Shield Charm."

Cedric's eyebrows shot up to his forehead as a blush filled my cheeks. It was nice to know that he thought it was a stupid idea, too. "A Shield Charm? Do you know how to do one?" Cedric asked.

"No," I said.

"Have you ever tried?" Cedric asked.

"No."

"Does that not seem a bit reckless?" Cedric asked.

"It's like you don't know me at all," I said. We both laughed as Cedric laid a hand on my shoulder. I was perfectly reckless. It was one of my best qualities. "I've got to practice it, but I don't have time. I've got to be in Herbology now and I've got Potions and Divination after."

"Can you miss Herbology?" Cedric asked playfully.

That surprised me. Cedric had very rarely been one for missing classes, but I wasn't going to fight him on it. "Why not?" I asked, shrugging carelessly. I would love to miss a class with a professor who hadn't cared for me very much since the goblet spat out my name. "I don't think Professor Sprout could like me less right now."

"Don't bet on that," Cedric said, making me laugh. "Come on, I've got an idea."

He took my hand and led me down the hallway toward an empty classroom. No one would be wandering the castle for at least an hour when the current lessons ended. Cedric closed the door of the classroom behind us and flipped the bolt. "What are we doing here?" I asked, pacing around the middle of the room.

There were no desks in the classroom. I wondered if this was used as a dueling room. "We're going to practice the Shield Charm," Cedric said.

"You're going to help me?" I asked, surprised.

Cedric nodded. "Of course. You've got a pretty face, I don't want to see it damaged."

I laughed and pulled out of his grasp as he took my chin in his hands. "Prat," I snapped.

Cedric chuckled again, taking me by the hands and leading me to the center of the room. "Come on," he said, standing us about five feet apart. "You know the spell?"

"Yes," I said, my mouth seemingly having gone dry.

All I could wonder was if this how I would feel facing a fully grown dragon? Completely unprepared and a little foolish. Probably. "We have an hour until you need to get to Charms. We can get something done," Cedric promised.

"Let's give it a shot," I sighed.

Cedric and I practiced the Shield Charm for the two hours that we were supposed to be in Herbology and Ancient Runes followed by the lunch break. Neither one of us knew how to do the spell, but we both tried our hardest. There were lots of near-misses where I produced nothing more than some tiny wisps of smoke. I couldn't stop anything that was getting thrown at me. I ended up falling prey to a few Dancing Feet and Jelly-Leg Jinxes. By the end of the two hours, I still hadn't managed the spell. Even though I wanted to keep practicing, I knew that I had to go to Potions.

Dragons would be the least of my worries if I missed Potions; I couldn't risk not going. So, Cedric and I left as he briefly walked me toward the dungeons. "Well, that was pointless," I huffed, annoyed that I'd made no progress.

"It wasn't pointless, Tara," Cedric countered. That was hard to believe. "You've got some chances to practice. Give it another day, you never know what you might be able to accomplish."

"Okay," I mumbled.

"It's going to be okay, you know that, right?" Cedric asked, laying his hand on my arm.

"Tell me that after I've survived an encounter with a full-grown dragon," I moaned, throwing my head back. Cedric chuckled. "I should get to Potions before Snape feeds me to the dragons himself."

Cedric laughed. "See you later."

We exchanged a quick smile as I turned and walked off. I wandered into the dungeon and took my spot in between Harry and Hermione. They looked up at me curiously. "Where were you during Herbology?" Hermione hissed accusatorily.

"I had a meeting," I answered.

"You don't need to give Professor Sprout any more reason to be upset with you," Hermione told me.

"Surprisingly enough, Hermione, I do have slightly more pressing matters to deal with than Professor Sprout's irritation with my tardiness," I snapped.

"She glared at me the whole class. You made the right move not coming," Harry said.

Hermione glared at us as Harry and I exchanged a chuckle. We ended up spending much of the class passing notes back and forth between us. Snape ran his mouth for the hour that we sat in the dungeons but I didn't listen. Harry and I brainstormed ideas for what we could do to battle a dragon; nothing was safe enough that wouldn't result in us getting burned to death. When the class ended, all three of us turned to leave. I only stopped when an idea dawned on me. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea, but it was all I had.

"You guys go ahead," I told Harry and Hermione, looking to the front of the dungeon where Snape was wandering back and forth as he prepared for his next class. "I need to talk to Snape for a minute."

"What?" Harry asked, stunned.

Snape was a mean professor but he was brilliant with a wand. I would tell Hermione and Harry the truth of what I was doing later. For now, I wanted to treat this as it was; a friendly competition. "I want to apologize to him for what happened the other day with Skeeter," I said awkwardly.

Hermione looked pleasantly surprised. "That's mature."

"I try," I mumbled, which was a complete lie.

I enjoyed being immature. "See you later," Harry said, staring at me like I'd lost my mind.

Maybe I had. "See you," I told them. I slowly pushed my way to the front of the classroom as the rest of the room emptied. "Professor?"

Snape turned around and looked shocked to see that I was still there. "Yes, Nox?"

"I wondered if I could speak with you for a moment."

"Make it quick. I have another lesson to prepare for."

My stomach churned with nerves. I had never done well speaking politely to Snape. "Well, as I'm sure you're aware, the First Task is coming up and I've been trying to prepare for it as best I can," I said. It looked like Snape was getting annoyed so I began speaking faster. "There's a charm I wanted to learn, the Shield Charm, but I've never attempted it and I know that it's difficult -"

"Would this not be better suited for the Charms professor?" Snape interrupted, scowling at me.

It had occurred to me to go see Professor Flitwick but I didn't have him today and as good of a teacher as he was, he preferred the slow and steady pace. Snape wanted everything done immediately, which was what I needed right now. "Please, professor. I considered going to Professor Flitwick, but I've seen you cast spells before. You're fast and… and I think I need speed tomorrow," I said. A dragon could mow me down in seconds. "You initially wanted to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, right? That's a Defense charm."

"The Shield Charm won't be learned overnight," Snape said.

"Better to try and fail than to have never tried at all, right?" I offered.

My comment didn't seem to sit well with him. Snape gave me a long look as if he were trying to read a book in a foreign language. I figured he would tell me to buzz off, but instead, he said, "It won't be an easy task."

"Understood."

Snape nodded as he circled the desk. "The Shield Charm protects the caster with an invisible shield that reflects spells and blocks physical entities. Conjurations may sometimes rebound directly off it back towards the caster, or in other cases, may ricochet off in other directions or dissipate as soon as they hit the shield."

"But it can block say, a stone being thrown at you?" I asked dumbly.

"Yes."

"How difficult is it?"

"That would depend on the level of skill of the performer. Most consider it to be moderate."

"Can you do it?"

Snape didn't look thrilled with my question as he whipped out his wand and said, " _Protego_."

A silver mist floated in front of Snape and formed a barrier for a few moments before evaporating. I figured that theoretically, it would have protected him. "How long did it take you to learn?" I asked nervously.

"More than a night," Snape said pointedly.

The tone of his voice told me that I wasn't getting anything else out of him. "Right. Thank you, Professor Snape," I muttered dumbly. It was time for me to leave before he got any angrier with me. Even though I left with my tail tucked between my legs, I was still annoyed with him. _Well, that was useless_. Snape gave me a short nod as I turned to leave, but I stopped at the last moment and turned back to him. "Oh, and I'm sorry about the other day with Rita Skeeter."

Snape looked surprised that I had apologized as he gave me a short nod. I turned to leave again when he called, "Nox." I turned back. "The wand movement must be precise. The vertical line must be directly in the center of the circle and you must enclose the circle."

That would help. "Okay, thank you," I said earnestly.

Snape nodded again as I turned to leave quickly, smiling at my quasi-success. Snape's hint would help me get started. I walked into the hallway and saw Harry and Hermione, who had been waiting for me. "Did you go to lunch?" Hermione asked curiously as my stomach growled.

"No, I was practicing for the First Task," I admitted.

"Doing what?" Harry asked.

"Probably not the same thing you were trying," I said slowly.

"You're not going to tell me?" Harry asked, sounding very annoyed.

"I will," I said.

Harry stared at me disbelievingly. I loved him to death but he had to learn to do things on his own sometimes. "Tara, you're seriously not going to help me?" Harry snapped.

"I've got my idea to practice," I shot back. My gaze softened upon seeing Harry's defeated face. We can't do the same thing, it would look too suspicious. They would know that we were cheating by helping each other. Hermione can help Harry and I'll seek help elsewhere. Harry, you're my best friend and I'll help you if worse comes to worst, but it's a competition, right?" Hermione smiled at our exchange. "Come on, we can't get out of it so we may as well give it a real go."

While Hermione looked impressed that I was going to try and handle things myself (and attempt to not cheat), Harry scowled at me. "This is the wrong time for you to be noble," he groaned.

"I think it's a good idea," Hermione put in.

Harry turned and scowled at her. "I'll be around tonight," I said, turning to leave. I had about twenty-four hours to keep myself from getting burned alive. "If you'll excuse me -"

"You have Divination!" Hermione gasped.

"So?" I asked.

"Go to class first, practice after," Hermione said.

Harry and I exchanged an annoyed look but ultimately decided that we may as well have gone. It was only an hour and a half, after all, and I had no one else to practice with yet. Harry was about to skip Divination to keep practicing, but Hermione refused to skive off Arithmancy, and for him, there was no point in staying without her. I tried to spend Divination writing down possible plans for the First Task, but it ended up being a very difficult task. Harry was having no more luck than I was.

As we had stupidly decided to attend Divination, we, therefore, had to endure over an hour of Professor Trelawney, who spent half the lesson telling everyone that the position of Mars with relation to Saturn at that moment meant that people born in July were in great danger of sudden, violent deaths. She spent another fourth of the lesson adding that, because of Jupiter lining up with Mercury, people born in October were far more susceptible to severely painful losses - perhaps of their own lives, she added.

"Well, that's good, just as long as it's not drawn-out. I don't want to suffer," Harry said loudly, about midway through the lesson.

Like mine, his temper must have gotten the better of him. Professor Trelawney opened her mouth and barely got through another rant about our impending deaths when I sprang up from the table, almost knocking it to the ground. "Okay, you know what? I've got better things to do than sit here. Like trying to not get myself filleted tomorrow!" I hissed.

Ron looked for a moment as though he was going to laugh at our displays; he had briefly caught my eye for the first time in days, but I was still feeling too resentful toward Ron to care. It was time for me to practice. Sitting here was only making me more paranoid. So, I grabbed my bag and left the classroom, jumping down the stairs. There was some chatter behind me, but I didn't care. I needed all the time I had to get herself prepared for the task. I wandered down the hall and headed toward the Common Room when I saw someone who might have been willing to help me.

"Freddie!" I barked.

Fred turned back and grinned at me. "Loser," he said, folding his arms over his chest confidently. I groaned in aggravation. His eyebrows raised as he glanced up at the clock. "Shouldn't you be in Divination?"

"Shouldn't you be in Charms?" I shot back.

It seemed that I wasn't the only one skiving off class. "That's fair. What's up?" he asked.

"Want to help me get the best score for the First Task?" I asked.

"What?" Fred said, shocked.

"Don't ask questions, but I've got a good idea of a spell to use during it. The Shield Charm."

"That's kind of a tough spell, Tara, and you're planning on learning it in a night?"

"Yeah."

Fred stared at me for a moment before shrugging. "Let's do it."

"You want to help?"

"Of course," Fred said. I smiled at him. "This way I'll know who to bet on."

Naturally... "Ah, you couldn't help me to be selfless, could you?"

"It's like you don't know me at all," Fred teased. I giggled at him as Fred reached out and took my hand, leading him with me. "Come on, I know where we can go."

Fred and I took off down the hallway - which was thankfully empty as classes were still going on - and headed down a few flights of stairs to one of the less-traveled hallways. There were no classrooms that were being used down here. I wondered if this was one of the places Fred and George went to practice their pranks. The thought made me smile. The two of us headed into an empty classroom with the desks having been pushed out of the way. I smiled as Fred motioned me into the middle of the room, locking the door behind us.

"Do you trust me enough to let you practice a new spell on you?" I asked.

"Please, you'll never manage it," Fred huffed.

"Freddie!" I snapped.

"You know you can't," Fred teased.

"What the hell? You're supposed to be here to _help_ me!"

It seemed that Fred was the wrong choice to bring with me. Fred grinned. "You know something I've noticed about you?" he asked. I was too stunned by what he had said earlier to compute his question. "You're always a good witch but you're also never better than when you're angry."

"That's cruel," I moaned.

"It's effective," Fred shot back. "Come on, loser. Prove me wrong."

"You're an ass," I hissed.

"Yes, I am," Fred agreed. "Get casting!"

So, Fred and I worked on the Shield Charm to the best of our abilities. Fred shot multiple spells at me and the first two hours were spent with me getting myself into stupid situations. I got a Biting Jinx aimed my way that caused my wand to draw blood, it bit me so hard. A Dancing Spell Jinx winded me. It took us twenty minutes to reverse a Finger-Removing Jinx. I couldn't even remember what had happened after Fred hit me with a Jelly-Brain Jinx. I threatened to burn Fred's eyebrows off when he hit me with a Pimple Jinx.

It took five minutes to reverse that jinx as I came up with some of my most creative insults ever. Fred looked the most afraid I'd ever seen him. He settled with a Tripping Jinx for most of our time together as he found it very funny to see me fall over. I knew that I would be bruised to hell tomorrow from all the times I had banged into tables or hit my hip on counters. It was almost an hour before I finally managed a weak Shield Charm. I still got knocked over from the pressure but the jinx didn't hit me. I was so excited that I launched myself into Fred's arms in a tight hug.

After a few seconds together, Fred reminded me that I couldn't stop there. We practiced through Divination and dinner. I figured that Fred might have wanted to leave and grab dinner, but he promised that he would stay with me until I could produce the spell correctly. We only stopped for a few minutes to eat some of the candy Fred had in his bag. I had a lot of fun practicing, more than I had thought I would. I figured it was because Fred didn't bring up the task. He just teased me, the way he always had.

It was nice to interact with someone who treated me the way they had before I became a champion. It had been hours since the sun had set and I knew it meant that it was at least close to the middle of the night. We had spent hours together practicing. I had mostly perfected the Shield Charm, though sometimes it was a little weaker than I would have liked it to be. I wanted to keep practicing throughout the night, but I knew that I had to get at least a few hours of sleep before the task.

"That was good, Tara," Fred said. "You might have a real shot."

"Might?"

"We can't let your head get too big."

"You're an ass."

We smiled at each other as we wandered into the hallway and quickly headed back toward Gryffindor Tower. We couldn't get caught out here this late. Fred's smile faded as he looked down at me. "Are you going to be okay tomorrow?" he asked.

How could anyone be okay facing a fully-grown dragon? "Well, not really. I don't know, Freddie. It's intimidating," I admitted.

"You'll be okay, you know that," Fred said.

"Yeah, tell me that when this is over."

"I've never heard you sound so -"

"Concerned?" I asked.

"Something like that. Hey, I'll be cheering for you."

I giggled under my breath as I reached out and wrapped my arms over his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. "Thanks," I said.

"Tara, you know people don't believe those rumors, right?" Fred asked as we continued.

"It sure as hell seems like they do," I groaned.

Fred shook his head. "They don't. Everyone knows that Skeeter was just trying to get your goat. It helps that Diggory keeps telling everyone it's not true and to lay off you."

"He does?" I asked, somewhat surprised by the news.

I'd known that Cedric wasn't happy with the way that people were speaking to me and I knew that he had told his friends to lay off, but I was surprised that he had told everyone to leave me alone. "When he hears people saying something nasty about you, it's probably the only time I've seen him angry," Fred explained. The thought warmed my heart slightly. I liked knowing that he was trying to stop people from making fun of me. "He cares about you."

"I know. It's strange to see you defending him," I said.

"I'm not defending him," Fred countered. I arched an eyebrow. "I just want you to be happy."

"You've always taken care of me," I said.

"Always will," Fred replied.

He was one of the few people I would have believed when they said that. I smiled as I took Fred's hand and reached up on my tiptoes to press a kiss against his cheek. Fred rested a hand gently on my waist as we walked back through the central part of the castle. I grinned up at Fred and rested my head in the crook of his shoulder. He always took care of me, no matter what was going on. He took care of me more than most people had ever done and I believed that he always would. We walked back to Gryffindor Tower hand-in-hand.

We half-sprinted back to Gryffindor Tower after spotting Peeves and wound up darting into the Common Room a little after two o'clock in the morning. I figured that the Common Room would be empty this early in the morning but I was surprised to see that Harry and Hermione had been practicing. I released Fred's hand as Harry and Hermione looked up at us. Harry was standing near the fireplace, surrounded by heaps of objects: books, quills, several upturned chairs, an old set of Gobstones, and Neville's toad, Trevor.

"Hey," I greeted them.

"Night, Tara," Fred said, looking at Harry and Hermione as they passed. "Kids."

"Hi, Fred," Hermione greeted.

"Hey, Fred," Harry greeted.

We waited for Fred to head upstairs before speaking again. "Looks like it's been a very productive evening," I said, looking around at the mess. "Any luck?"

"A little bit," Harry said.

"Summoning Charm?" I asked curiously.

That would explain why everything was all over the place. "Yeah," Harry said.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"Not good enough," Harry admitted, which was the same way I felt. "Want to tell me what you tried?"

"Shield Charm," I said.

"That's a good idea," Hermione said.

"Thanks."

"How did it work?" she asked.

"Good enough, but not good enough to make me comfortable tomorrow," I said.

"I don't think you would ever feel good enough to be comfortable tomorrow," Hermione pointed out.

"That's very comforting, Hermione," I said. Harry chuckled as he collapsed onto the couch and reached up for me. I smiled weakly as I dropped into his lap and rested my legs over his. "So, what's your plan tomorrow?"

Harry quickly explained his idea to summon the Firebolt to me. "What do you think?" he asked.

"It's smart and I wish I would have thought of it," I admitted.

My idea was a little more ballsy and far less thought out. "I didn't. Moody recommended it," Harry said. So, that was what Moody had brought Harry into his office for. "What are you planning?"

"At the moment? I'm going to wing it," I admitted.

"Tara!" Hermione gasped.

What other choice did I have? There was no way for me to truly prepare for a battle with a full-grown dragon. "What? I've got a few spells in mind but, Hermione, without knowing what dragon we're facing, how are we supposed to properly prepare? They're all different. I've got outlines of a plan for each possibility," I explained.

"Tara -"

"Drop it," I interrupted her. "I'm nervous enough, I don't need you adding to it."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Hermione said sheepishly. "We'd better get some sleep. You two are going to need it."

"Night, guys," I said, hugging them both and walking off.

When I woke up the next morning, I hadn't succeeded in sleeping for more than twenty minutes. I'd been focusing so hard on learning the Shield Charm the prior evening that some of my blind panic had left me. It returned in full measure, however, on Tuesday morning. The atmosphere in the school was one of great tension and excitement. Lessons were to stop at midday, giving all the students time to get down to the dragons' enclosure - though of course, they didn't yet know what they would find there.

I felt oddly separate from everyone around me, whether they were wishing me good luck (the few that were) or hissing, "We'll be sure to give Cedric our condolences, Nox," as I passed.

It was a state of nervousness so advanced that I wondered whether I would lose my head when they tried to lead me out to my dragon and start trying to curse everyone in sight. Time was behaving more peculiarly than ever, rushing past in great dollops, so that one moment I seemed to be sitting down in my first lesson, History of Magic, and the next, walking into lunch, and then Professor McGonagall was hurrying over to me in the Great Hall. Lots of people were watching. Where had the morning gone? The last of the dragon-free hours?

"Professor," I greeted, the word sticking in my throat.

"Nox, Potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now," Professor McGonagall said. "You have to get ready for your First Task."

"Right," I said, my coffee cup splattering to the table and spilling everywhere.

"Okay," Harry said, standing up, his fork falling onto his plate with a clatter.

"Good luck!" Hermione whispered. "You'll be fine!"

"Sure," I mumbled.

"Yeah," Harry said, in a very high-pitched voice.

We left the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall. She didn't seem herself either; in fact, she looked nearly as anxious as Hermione. Harry and I walked side-by-side, our hands linked together. That seemed to make Professor McGonagall even more nervous. She knew that we were terrified. My body was trembling from head-to-toe. We had officially run out of time. The dragons were mere minutes away. As Professor McGonagall walked us down the stone steps and out into the cold November afternoon, she put her hands on our shoulders.

"Now, don't panic, just keep a cool head," Professor McGonagall said. "We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand. The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you. Are you all right?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine," Harry said.

"Great. Why wouldn't we be?" I said.

It was becoming very hard to speak. My throat was beginning to tighten to the point that I didn't think I would be able to breathe. Professor McGonagall was leading us toward the place where the dragons were, around the edge of the forest, but when we approached the clump of trees behind which the enclosure would be visible, I saw that a tent had been erected, its entrance facing us, screening the dragons from view. My heart was pounding with anticipation.

"You're to go in here with the other champions and wait for your turns. Mr. Bagman is in there. He'll be telling you the - the procedure," Professor McGonagall said, in a rather shaky sort of voice. "Good luck. Nox, your father would like to speak to you before the task."

"Okay. Thanks, Professor," I said. She motioned me down the path that followed the edge of the tent. I walked down it and attempted a smile as I saw my father. It likely came across as a grimace. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, kid. You alright? I haven't seen you look this pale since the summer after we moved to England," Dad teased. I didn't respond to the joke, instead, I stared blankly at him. My father's nervous grin faded. "Tara. You're going to be alright."

"Sure," I replied. Suddenly, a thought came to mind. "Whose fucking idea was it to include the venomous dragon and the one with a taste for human flesh?"

"Watch your mouth," he snapped. "How did you -?"

"Doesn't matter. Please tell me it wasn't _your_ idea," I hissed.

"It wasn't. I wanted to use the Antipodean Opaleye and Hebridean Black but the Ridgeback and Horntail were the only other two nesting mothers," Dad explained. It somehow didn't seem like a good enough reason to pit two of us against some of the most violent dragons in the world. "Tara, you've got a team of people out there ready to step in if things go wrong."

"And I'll look like an idiot," I said.

"You could never."

"I think I'm going to be sick."

He smiled, running a hand down my arm. "You're my brave girl. You can do this. Do you have a plan?"

"I've got about… twenty percent of a plan."

"We'll take it."

"How's Mom?" I asked, unwilling to talk about my pathetic plan any longer.

"Probably drawing up divorce papers as we speak since I admitted to her that the First Task was dragons," Dad said. I laughed. "I'll tell her all about how you managed."

"In case I die?"

"Because too many people will want to celebrate your win and you won't have time to give an interview."

"Okay."

"You're going to be okay," Dad said, taking my arm and pulling me along. "Come on, we've got to get you inside. Good luck. I'll be watching."

"See you," I breathed.

Dad left me at the entrance of the tent. I went inside. Fleur Delacour was sitting in a corner on a low wooden stool. She didn't look nearly as composed as usual, but rather pale and clammy. Viktor Krum looked even surlier than usual, which I supposed was his way of showing nerves. Cedric was pacing up and down. When I entered, Cedric gave me a small smile, which I returned, feeling the muscles in my face working rather hard, as though they had forgotten how to do it.

"Tara!" Bagman said happily, looking around at me. "Come in, come in, make yourself at home!"

Bagman looked somehow like a slightly overblown cartoon figure, standing amid all the pale-faced champions. He was wearing his old Wasp robes again. He handed me a set of robes that were similar to the ones Cedric was wearing, though they were red and black. Once I had changed, I began pacing. Most of the others were too. I wasn't speaking but I was walking near Cedric. He gave me a reassuring nod. After a few minutes, Hermione entered the tent and lunged into a hug with Harry. I turned to them and smiled as I walked up.

At that moment, a bright camera flashed and Rita Skeeter approached. My nerves left me for a moment, replaced by boiling rage. "Young love! Oh, how stirring," Skeeter said, smiling at Harry and Hermione. "If everything goes unfortunately today you might make the front page."

"Yeah, you'd love that, wouldn't you?" I sneered.

Surprisingly, it was Krum who stepped up to the plate. "You have no business here," he told Skeeter. "This tent is for champions and friends."

Unless I was going insane, which was a good possibility, Krum briefly shot a look at Hermione. "No matter. We've got what we wanted," Skeeter said, turning to Cedric and me, motioning between us with her quill. "Unless you two would like to -"

I was about to lunge after her, intent on knocking her teeth out, when Dumbledore and my father entered. "I'd suggest you not finish that thought, Rita," my father warned, a gravelly tone to his voice.

"Good to see you again, Marcus," Skeeter said, smiling at him.

"It's not good to see you, Rita, and you know that." The tent fell silent as my father walked up to Skeeter. "I read what you wrote about my daughter." Skeeter opened her mouth but my father spoke over her. He took her arm in what appeared to be a crushing grip. Skeeter whispered as she tried to step back, but he wouldn't allow her. "If you write anything about my daughter ever again, it'll be the last thing you ever write," my father warned her lowly.

"Dad, she's not worth it," I said.

As much as I would have enjoyed seeing him kill her, I knew that she wasn't worth whatever trouble he would get into for it. So, my father released her, but not without a shove backward. "Keep my daughter's name out of your column," my father snarled.

"Rita, I believe it's time for you to leave," Dumbledore said, motioning her pointedly out of the tent. She left as I sent my father an appreciative smile. "Good day, champions. Gather around please." We all walked up and formed a tight circle. "Now you've waited, you've wondered and at last the moment has arrived. The moment only five of you can fully appreciate." Dumbledore glanced around at us but his face dropped in confusion when he saw Hermione. "What are you doing here, Miss Granger?"

"Oh, um..." Hermione said, jumping as she realized that she wasn't supposed to be here. "Sorry, I'll just go."

"Barty," Dumbledore prompted.

"Well, now we're all here - time to fill you in!" Bagman said brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag," he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at us, "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different - er - varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too... ah, yes... your task is to collect the golden egg!"

Collect a golden egg. It seemed easy enough, until you included the fire-breathing dragon, at least. I glanced around. Cedric had nodded once, to show that he understood Bagman's words, and then started pacing around the tent again. He looked slightly green. Maybe he wasn't as prepared as I'd thought he would be. Fleur Delacour and Krum hadn't reacted at all. Perhaps they thought they might be sick if they opened their mouths; that was certainly how I felt. But they, at least, had volunteered for this.

Harry looked about as nauseous as I was feeling. I wandered around the tent as the minutes ticked by, my legs feeling less and less stable. In no time at all, hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent, their owners talking excitedly, laughing, and joking. It must have been nice to be up there, safe and worry-free. I felt extremely separate from the crowd, as though they were a different species. And then - it seemed like about a second later to me - Bagman was opening the neck of the purple silk sack.

"Miss Delacour," Bagman said, offering it to Fleur Delacour.

Fleur put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon - a Welsh Green. It had the number two around its neck. My heart dropped as she examined the dragon. I had been hoping that by some stroke of luck I would end up with the easiest dragon. I should have known that it would be Fleur's. I knew, by the fact that Fleur showed no sign of surprise, but rather a determined resignation, that I had been right: Madame Maxime had told her what was coming.

The same held true for Krum. He pulled out the scarlet Chinese Fireball. It had a number three around its neck. He didn't even blink, he just sat back down and stared at the ground. Some part of me had been hoping that the two of them would have pulled the Ridgeback and Horntail. Now it was between Cedric, Harry, and myself, and two of us would have the two dragons I had been least looking forward to. Cedric put his hand into the bag next and out came the blueish-gray Swedish Short Snout, with the number one tied around its neck.

My heart skipped a beat as I realized that there were only two dragons left. The Hungarian Horntail and the Norwegian Ridgeback. I wasn't too keen to face either one of them. I felt Harry's hand wrap around my waist as Bagman held out the purple silk to me. On shaky legs, I reached in. The bag was warmer than I was expecting. I took the first thing I could feel and pulled it out, holding my hand closed as I turned it over. I forced myself to count to three before revealing the Norwegian Ridgeback with the number five around its neck.

It meant that I would be going last. I wasn't sure if it made me feel better or worse. My head snapped around to my father, who nodded slowly. My heart was pounding in my chest as Bagman turned to Harry, who would be facing the Hungarian Horntail. I'd known that I was correct about the two of us facing the most dangerous dragons. Just as expected, Harry reached into the bag and pulled out the Horntail. It stretched its wings and bared its minuscule fangs. I gripped the back of his robes tightly.

"Well, there you are!" Bagman said happily. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now, Harry, could I have a quick word? Outside?"

"Um... yes," Harry said blankly, and he got up and went out of the tent with Bagman.

"You alright?" Dad asked, walking up to Harry.

"Uh-huh," Harry said hoarsely, turning and looking at my father like he'd never seen him before. "Thank you, Mr. Nox."

"You're going to be just fine," Dad said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We've got plenty of trained wizards ready to step in at a moment's notice."

"Okay," Harry said.

They nodded at each other as Harry walked off with Bagman and Dad came up to me. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised that I got the venomous dragon," I admitted. I took a few deep breaths, feeling myself tremble. "I've got nothing to worry about. I'm going to be fine. I'm ready."

Dad smiled, running his hands through my hair and bringing me in for a hug. "You are. Don't forget it. You're a smart witch and you know how to handle yourself in a crisis," Dad said. I nodded along, trying to convince myself that he was right. "I have to go, but I'll be right here waiting to congratulate you when you've finished."

"Okay," I said. He was about to walk off when I called him back. "Hey, thanks for Skeeter."

"I'll kill her if she writes anything else about you," Dad said. I chuckled under my breath. Dad walked up to my side and hugged me tighter than he ever had before. "You'll be okay." I nodded, unable to speak as Cedric walked up to us. He nodded at my father, who nodded back at him. "Good luck, son."

"Thank you," Cedric said.

Dad smiled at him and walked out of the tent. Cedric walked in front of me, placing a hand on my arm comfortingly. "I told you," I moaned.

"At least you don't have the Horntail," Cedric teased.

"That doesn't make me feel better considering that Harry has it," I replied.

As usual, Harry and I were the two people whose lives were going to be in the most danger. We stared at each other for a moment before the gong sounded for Cedric's turn. My heart sped up at the sound. I would have been terrified for him sitting in the stands, but this was somehow worse. Seeing the fear on his face and being unable to help. As Cedric passed me, we stood against each other for a moment. He gave me what I imagined was an attempt at a smile as I gripped the front of his robes.

"Are you ready?" Cedric asked. I let out a pathetic hoarse squeak. "Me too."

"Please be careful," I begged.

"You'll be all right," Cedric said. "We both will."

"Yeah."

All I wanted to do was give him a good-luck kiss, but I was positive that I would throw up all over him. As Cedric grabbed my hip and walked out, Harry walked back to the tent. Cedric was about to leave, greener than ever. Harry opened his mouth, probably trying to wish him luck as he walked past, but all that came out of his mouth was a sort of hoarse grunt. I understood how he was feeling. It was how I felt. Seconds later, I heard the roar of the crowd, which meant Cedric had entered the enclosure and was now face-to-face with the living counterpart of his model.

It was worse than I could ever have imagined, sitting there and listening. The crowd screamed, yelled, and gasped like a single many-headed entity, as Cedric did whatever he was doing to get past the Swedish Short-Snout. My heart was pounding in my chest as I listened to the crowd. I heard most of them calling Cedric's name and screaming for him to make all kinds of different moves. Even worse was hearing the roaring from the dragon and the loud blasts of flames.

Maybe I hadn't been thrilled with Cedric over the last few weeks, but I didn't want to see him get himself burned to a crisp. Harry must have known how awful I felt, as he sat with me, keeping his hands on my leg. Krum was still staring at the ground. Fleur had now taken to retracing Cedric's steps, around and around the tent. Even as I tried to imagine that Cedric was doing well, Bagman's commentary was making everything much, much worse. A deafening bang and roar sounded as there were gasps from the audience. I tightened my grip on Harry's hand.

"He'll be okay, Tara," Harry promised.

I let out a hoarse whisper. Cedric _had_ to be okay. Horrible pictures formed in my mind as he heard, "Oh, narrow miss there, very narrow. He's taking risks, this one! Clever move - pity it didn't work!"

The entire time Cedric was with the dragon, I knew I should have been thinking about when my turn would come in an hour or so. It wasn't on my mind, though. I was only thinking about what was happening to Cedric. I wasn't sure if it was easier sitting here and listening to his turn or if it would have been easier to be able to see. Then, after about fifteen minutes of near heart attacks from the noises and commentary, I heard the deafening roar that could mean only one thing: Cedric had gotten past his dragon and captured the golden egg.

"Very good indeed!" Bagman was shouting. I jumped to my feet for a moment. "And now the marks from the judges!"

But he didn't shout out the marks; I supposed the judges were holding them up and showing them to the crowd. Harry looked up at me and smiled, exchanging a quick hug. I was thrilled to hear that Cedric was okay and he had gotten past his dragon. My relief didn't last long. Within a minute, I realized that my turn was now one person closer. I allowed myself another moment to be relieved that Cedric was okay before I placed my elbows on my knees and looked down at the floor.

"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"

Fleur was trembling from head to foot; I felt more warmly toward her than I had done so far as she left the tent with her head held high and her hand clutching her wand. We exchanged a glance as she walked past. It was still obvious that neither one of us liked the other, but we had a mutual moment of quasi-respect. She had the easiest dragon, but I supposed that it was still a dragon nonetheless. Harry, Krum, and I were left alone, Harry and I at opposite sides of the tent from Krum, avoiding each other's gaze.

The same process started again. "Oh, I'm not sure that was wise!" I heard Bagman shouting gleefully. "Oh... nearly! Careful now... good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"

Ten minutes later, I heard the crowd erupt into applause once more. Fleur must have been successful too. There was some bitterness on my part from Fleur getting her egg faster than Cedric had. Though, his attempt seemed a bit more interesting; I had heard more applause and cheering during his turn. There was a brief pause while Fleur's marks were being shown. There was more clapping for her marks. Judging by the noise level, her marks hadn't been as high as Cedric's. Then, for the third time, the whistle.

"And here comes Mr. Krum!" Bagman cried, and Krum slouched out, leaving Harry and me alone.

At this point, it seemed that I had less than twenty minutes until I was going to face my dragon. I felt much more aware of my body than usual; very aware of the way my heart was pumping fast and that my fingers were tingling with fear. Yet, at the same time, I seemed to be outside myself, seeing the walls of the tent and hearing the crowd, as though from far away. Harry and I glanced up and exchanged a quick look with each other. I laid my head in his shoulder, closing my eyes and trying to block out the noises.

"Very daring!" Bagman yelled, and I heard the Chinese Fireball emit a horrible, roaring shriek, while the crowd drew its collective breath. "That's some nerve he's showing - and - yes, he's got the egg!"

Applause shattered the wintery air like breaking glass; Krum had finished. A chill settled over my bones. It would be Harry's turn at any moment. He was now the only person setting me apart from my turn with the dragon. My head finally came up from Harry's shoulder. We looked at each other in the eye for a moment before he stood up. I stood up with him. Harry reached out for me on trembling legs. I took his hand and stood in front of him, saying nothing as we waited. A minute passed, and then I heard the whistle blow.

"Good luck, Harry," I whispered.

We would see each other in a few minutes. That was what I had to keep telling myself. Harry nodded as he pulled me into a hug. I could feel that we were both trembling. "I'll see you on the other side when we both have our eggs," Harry promised.

"Of course," I said, as confidently as I could.

Within half an hour, we would both have encountered our dragons and survived the First Task. Yes, that was the truth. Harry walked out through the entrance of the tent. The panic that had been at a dull roar was now rising into a crescendo inside me. There was only one more person to go before my wait ended. I felt my heart pounding in my chest, especially as the noises and roars came from the compound. There were a few deafening bangs and roars and what sounded like blasts of flames from the dragon.

Just like when Cedric had been with his dragon, I was terrified for Harry. I hated having two of the people I cared about the most in the world at the mercy of one of the most dangerous magical creatures in existence. My heart skipped a few beats as I heard screams and shouts from the audience toward Harry's encounter with the Horntail. The ground seemed to be shaking during Harry's encounter. I wondered how long it would be before I had to go. As it turned out, it wasn't long.

"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"

 _Good on Harry_. A few minutes passed after Harry's encounter with the dragon without the sound of the whistle. He had done well, but clearly, something had happened. Otherwise, he would have already gotten his scores. Another five minutes passed before Bagman called for Harry's scores. There was a loud round of cheering. Harry must have done extremely well. Maybe he had gotten the highest score for getting past his dragon the quickest. A moment later, the whistle sounded.

My time was officially up. I rose from the bench, my legs threatening to give way. I exited the tent and was now walking past the trees, through a gap in the enclosure fence. I walked out into the stadium and the crowd. They were hushed now, though that might have been because I couldn't hear anything over the thundering of my heartbeat. At first, I didn't see the Ridgeback, though I did see the eggs. After a moment, the dragon appeared, slinking low to the ground and growling at me. The audience erupted with noise as I approached slowly.

I slipped my wand out of my pocket as I walked up to the Ridgeback. My stomach was churning nervously. This could either go very well or very badly. "Hey, Norbert. Uh, Norberta," I corrected myself. "Remember me? I helped get you out of here to your new home. I helped you out, so do me a favor and help me out here. Please don't light me on fire."

At that exact moment, Norberta shot a blast of flames toward me. It seemed that she wasn't that happy that I had helped get her to her new life. The flames whipped toward me faster than I had expected. I couldn't think fast enough to pull out my wand and do anything; instead, I tumbled down into a crater between the rocks. Shouts and jeers were echoing from the audience. I hid in between the opening in the rocks for a few moments as the flames shot over my head, so hot that sweat began running down my neck.

The moment that the flames from Norberta subsided, I jumped up from my hiding spot in between the rocks and ran away from the eggs, hoping that Norberta would follow me. For a moment, she did. I planned on making a quick turn and running back toward the eggs to see if I could double back faster than Norberta could. The Ridgeback blasted another set of flames toward me as I whipped out my wand, casting the Water-Making Spell behind me. The flames hit the wall of water behind me, which was strong enough to stop them.

The unfortunate part was that the flames were boiling the water. The boiled water shot all over the enclosure, soaking me to the bone and causing my skin to turn red from the heat. I hissed in discomfort as I sprinted off. I only let the spell drop when Norberta stopped shooting flames. My luck didn't last long. The Ridgeback instead decided to settle with running after me. I knew that she would run me down within seconds. I had to try for the eggs before she could. I gasped as I turned back to the eggs - she had beaten me there.

Norberta slammed in front of me, the eggs resting between her legs, as she growled deeply at me. The ground had shaken so hard from her quick movement that I nearly fell as I ground to a halt a few meters away. Norberta lunged after me as I reached up and cast the Impediment Charm. It didn't do much more than trip Norberta up for a moment. It was enough to keep me safe for a moment. Norberta stumbled over her legs as I sprinted for the eggs again, trying to go around the dragon.

For her size, Norberta was a lot faster than I'd expected. She recovered from the Impediment Charm faster than I had expected. The Ridgeback straightened up and circled, cutting me off for the eggs again which forced me to turn back to the stands. There was no way she was going to let me too close to the eggs. As I sprinted off, trying to think of a new plan quickly, the Ridgeback came far too close for comfort. I could feel her hot breath on my neck. I whipped out my wand again but didn't think fast enough to use the spell I had practiced so hard with.

So, my fear taking over my practicality, I shouted the only spell that came to mind. The Knockback Jinx. The venom that had been dripping from Norberta's teeth spilled onto my shoes, indicating just how close she had been to eating me. The jinx shot from my wand so hard that it blew Norberta back into the stands where Rita Skeeter was sitting, crushing them under the dragon's weight. I was sure I would hear about that later. Thankfully, the stand Norberta had crushed was being used for the press and not for my fellow students.

Skeeter was knocked from her seat, falling almost a story to the ground below. She was screeching in fury even louder than the dragon was. Laughter erupted in the crowd from both the students and the adults. I could have sworn my father was crying. Even I stopped long enough to laugh at Skeeter's unfortunate luck. It took a shout from Hermione in the stands to get me to move again. I had a limited amount of time before Norberta regained her senses.

It wouldn't take her long to realize that I was the cause of her fall. As Norberta was still dazed, I turned and ran back toward the eggs. I was mere feet away when Norberta blew a blast of flames toward me. I slipped in between the rocks just as I had the first time Norberta had tried to burn me alive and threw my hands over my head. I was trying to think my way out of the situation when suddenly, much to my surprise, I heard the same voice I had heard a few times before. The voice that only seemed to appear whenever I was stuck in an impossible situation.

" _The dragon won't stop guarding the egg,_ " the man's voice echoed in my head.

 _"I know!_ " I shouted back in my mind.

 _"You must get to the egg."_

 _"I heard the damn rules! I know I have to get to the egg! But to get to the egg I have to get near the dragon! Every time I try to get under her she tries to light me on fire!"_

 _"Don't go under,_ " the man suggested.

 _"What else am I supposed to -?"_ I stopped when I realized what he meant, which wasn't what I had been planning on doing. " _Oh, you've got to be shitting me."_

 _"Do it!"_

 _"Fine!"_

If there was ever a stupid plan, it was this plan. I realized that I had to get closer to Norberta than I had been betting on. Way too close. But the disembodied voice had never led me down the wrong path before. I had to believe that he was trying to help me. It was either that or I was going to be burned. I may as well have given it a shot. I leaned up from in between the rocks and hooted for Norberta to come toward me. I could hear Hermione shrieking at me for my stupidity as Fred and George both shouted for me to stop being a moron.

My father seemed too stunned at my actions to say anything. I focused on Norberta as she approached, casting the Impediment Charm again as she came within a few feet of me. The dragon tripped up again and shrieked in fury. I could see her throat turning red as she geared up to blast another set of flames at me. I allowed Norberta to shoot off her flames before I cast the Shield Charm as perfectly as I could. If there was ever a time for luck to be on my side, it was now. There were no rocks for me to hide under and nowhere for me to go.

The silvery-blue shield emerged from the tip of my wand and flew out in front of my body to counteract Norberta's flames. I let out a breath of relief as the flames were stopped in their tracks. Now came the truly difficult part. The crowd screamed as I ran forward, the Shield Charm bowing under the pressure of the flames. I was inches away from Norberta's snout when I forced the Shield Charm downward, using it as a step up to jump into the air. The crowd's screams followed me as I launched myself over the flames.

Norberta stopped blowing flames and my Shield Charm gave out. I was lucky enough that I was already over Norberta's back and I hit the dragon's back in a slight tumble. I slipped down the dragon's back as Norberta lashed out, turning back and trying to take a chunk out of me. The dragon wasn't flexible enough to turn back to me, which was just what I was betting on. I grinned as I ran down Norberta's back but hesitated when I saw the long jump down to the eggs directly below me. I would be landing right in between Norberta's legs.

It was only when I saw the gleaming white teeth from the Ridgeback come within inches of my face that I decided I couldn't wait. She was either going to bite me or throw me from her back. So, I launched myself off the edge of Norberta's back and hit the ground almost twenty feet below me in a tuck-and-roll. Even though I'd tried to roll forward, the impact vibrated through my knees. Norberta roared and stepped back, likely trying to get back far enough to set me on fire, as I reached out and snatched up the golden egg, stopping the timer.

The crowd roared as Norberta reared up almost fifty feet above me. My moment of relief from taking the egg didn't last long. I gasped and cast the Shield Charm again as Norberta's jaws came down over me. The dragon was stopped with sword-like fangs only inches from my head. I breathed out shakily as I cradled the egg in one hand and kept up the shield with my other hand. My heart was racing as, a moment later, Norberta stumbled back from the Stunning Spells that were now hitting her.

When Norberta collapsed I was finally able to drop the spell and let out a breath of relief. I saw the dragon keepers rushing forward to subdue Norberta, and, over at the entrance to the enclosure, Professor McGonagall, my father, and Hagrid hurrying to meet me, all of them waving me toward them, their smiles evident even from the distance. The world seemed to have finally unmuted itself, the noise of the crowd pounding in my eardrums, and my heart lighter than it had been in weeks. I had gotten through the First Task. I had survived.

As I moved toward my friends, I felt a sharp pinch at my ankle. "Ow!" I shouted. I looked down to see that my ankle was bloody. The half-asleep dragon had bitten me, probably out of anger. I scowled at the dragon. "Come on, Norbert. After all that I've done for you."

"You did it!" Dad shouted, wrapping me in a tight hug and swinging me around. I laughed breathlessly. "Oh, mom's going to be so proud."

"That was excellent, Nox!" Professor McGonagall cried, which was extravagant praise coming from her. I noticed that her hand shook as she pointed at my ankle. "You'll need to see Madam Pomfrey before the judges give out your score. Over there, she's had to mop up Diggory already."

"What?" I gasped.

"Nothing serious. He got slightly burned on his cheek," Professor McGonagall consoled me.

"Yeh did it, Tara!" Hagrid yelled hoarsely. "Yeh did it! An' agains' the Ridgeback an' all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was one of the wors' - "

"Thanks, Hagrid," I said loudly so that Hagrid wouldn't blunder on and reveal that he had shown me the dragons beforehand.

"Right then, Nox, the first aid tent, please," Professor McGonagall said.

Dad and I exchanged another loving hug. He promised that, even though he had to leave immediately after the task, we would see each other again before the Second Task. I smiled at him as he left, promising that I would write home so that Mom didn't lose her mind with worry. I mouthed a quick 'thank you' to Hagrid before walking out of the enclosure. He was the reason I had gotten any chance to prepare, after all. I was still panting as I walked off, spotting Madam Pomfrey standing at the mouth of a second tent, looking worried.

"Dragons!" she said in a disgusted tone, pulling me inside.

The tent was divided into cubicles; I could make out Cedric's shadow through the canvas, but Cedric didn't seem to be badly injured. He was sitting up, at least. I desperately wanted to go and hug him - and something a little more, probably - but Madam Pomfrey knew where my thoughts were at. She scowled at me and took my arm, pulling me past Cedric's cubicle. She was going to make me get my treatment before letting me see or speak to anyone else. Madam Pomfrey examined my ankle, talking furiously all the while.

"Last year Dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next? You had the Ridgeback, didn't you?"

"Yes," I said.

"You may feel a bit woozy. This is the antidote for the venom," Madam Pomfrey explained.

In the excitement of grabbing the egg, I had almost forgotten that the bite would be venomous. "Great," I mumbled.

Madam Pomfrey cleaned the bite mark with a dab of some purple liquid that smoked and stung. She was right about one thing. It had only been a few minutes since I'd been bitten and I was already starting to feel a bit woozy. "Now, just sit quietly for a minute - sit!" I groaned as she shoved me back into my chair. "And then you can go and get your score." She bustled out of the tent and I heard her go next door and say, "How does it feel now, Diggory?"

It was very difficult to make out anything Cedric was saying; his voice was much quieter than it normally would have been. I gave up trying to overhear him after a few seconds. I knew that it would be pointless. I could talk to him later. I didn't want to sit still. I was too full of adrenaline. I had to do something. So, I got to my feet, wanting to see what was going on outside, but before I had reached the mouth of the tent, two people had come darting inside - Hermione and Harry, followed closely by Ron.

I wasn't surprised to see Harry or Hermione, but I was surprised to see Ron. "Well, this is interesting," I commented.

"You did it!" Harry shouted, grabbing me around the waist and spinning me.

"So did you!" I gasped, hugging him tightly. That was when I noticed he had a thick paste on his shoulder. "What happened to your shoulder?"

"A little burn from the Horntail. Nothing to worry about," Harry said.

"Tara, you were brilliant!" Hermione said squeakily. I smiled at her. There were fingernail marks on her face where she had been clutching it in fear. "You were amazing! You really were!"

I patted her on the shoulder and stopped in front of Ron, folding my arms over my chest. "So, do you believe us now?" I asked.

"Tara, I'm sorry," Ron said quietly. I stared at him, nodding my approval. I had wanted an apology from Ron for weeks. It was one of the things that had been bothering me the most. "Whoever put your name in the goblet, I reckon they're trying to do you in!"

"Ah, so you've finally caught on," I snapped. I scowled at Ron for a moment as my head began to spin. I didn't have it in me to fight with him any longer. I was fighting with everyone else. I couldn't handle not having one of my best friends any longer. So, I sighed and opened my arms to him. "Just hug me before I slap the shit out of you."

Ron grinned nervously at me and I grinned back. He was one of the most annoying people I had ever met, but he was also one of the most important people in my life. It meant the world to have him back in it. Ron walked up to me and hugged me tighter than he ever had before. We stayed together for a few moments before he seemed to notice that my body was beginning to swoop back and forth. Ron pulled back, giving me a concerned look. Hermione burst into tears.

"There's nothing to cry about!" Harry told her, bewildered.

"You three are so stupid!" Hermione shouted, stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front.

Then, before any of us could stop her, she had given all three of us a hug and dashed away, now positively howling. "Barking mad," Ron said, shaking his head.

"What's _that_ about?" I asked, my head doing a strange loop on my neck.

"Tara, are you alright?" Ron asked worriedly.

"It's the venom. Mixed with the adrenaline, it's going straight to her head," Madam Pomfrey explained. Well, that made sense. "I gave her the antidote but it will take some time to work. She'll feel better in an hour or so."

"Would you stop spinning?" I snapped as I looked at Ron.

"Yeah, Tara, _you're_ the one who's spinning," Ron replied.

"Am I?" I asked, trying to steady myself. I seemed to be spinning even faster. "How do I stop?"

I couldn't figure out why Harry and Ron were laughing. "Tara, c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores," Ron said.

"Wonderful!" I chirped. "Scores for what?"

"Tara," Cedric said.

"Hello," I greeted.

His face fell. "Are you alright?"

"Come on!" Ron barked, pulling me along.

Ron and Harry took my arm to pull me along. Cedric tried to follow us when Madam Pomfrey shouted, "Stay here, Diggory! I'm not done with you yet."

I turned back to smile at him. "Goodbye," I said.

My feet seemed to be tangling with themselves as I tried to walk with the boys. Walking seemed to have gotten much more difficult over the last few minutes. Ron and Harry both had arms around my waist, probably trying to keep me from falling. It was a good idea, as my legs seemed to have turned to jelly. Picking up the golden egg, feeling more elated (and quite a bit dizzier) than I would have believed possible an hour ago, I ducked out of the tent, Ron and Harry by my side, talking fast.

"You two were the best, you know, no competition," Ron explained. "Cedric did this weird thing where he Transfigured a rock on the ground. He turned it into a dog. He was trying to make the dragon go for the dog instead of him. Well, it was a pretty cool bit of Transfiguration, and it sort of worked, because he did get the egg, but he got burned as well - the dragon changed its mind halfway through and decided it would rather have him than the Labrador; he only just got away. And that Fleur girl tried this sort of charm, I think she was trying to put it into a trance - well, that kind of worked too, it went all sleepy, but then it snored, and this great jet of flame shot out, and her skirt caught fire - she put it out with a bit of water out of her wand. And Krum - you won't believe this, but he didn't even think of flying! He was probably the best after you, though. Hit it with some sort of spell right in the eye. Only thing is, it went trampling around in agony and squashed half the real eggs - they took marks off for that, he wasn't supposed to do any damage to them. Harry got his Firebolt and flew around his dragon."

I'd already known what Harry's plan was with his dragon. I wished that Ron would speak a bit slower, though. It seemed that my brain was processing information at about half the rate that it normally did. Ron drew breath as the three of us reached the edge of the enclosure. Now that the Ridgeback had been taken away, and I wasn't fearfully keeping my eyes away from the stands, I could see where the five judges were sitting right at the other end, in raised seats draped in gold.

"It marks out of ten from each one," Ron said, and squinting up the field, I saw the first judge - Madame Maxime - raise her wand in the air. What looked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure nine.

"Tara, that's great!" Ron said as the crowd applauded.

"She only gave me an eight," Harry said.

"I suppose she took marks off because you got bitten," Ron added.

It was much higher than I would have expected as Madame Maxime didn't like me much. "I guess she's not as much of a bitch as I thought," I commented.

The crowd laughed at my loud comment. I'd meant for it to be much quieter. Madam Maxime scowled down at me and I figured that she regretted giving as high of a score as she had. Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air. "Good job!" Harry called.

"Looking good!" Ron yelled, thumping me on the back.

Harry had to grab me to keep me from falling flat on my face. Next was Dumbledore. He too put up a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever. Then came Ludo Bagman - eight. "He gave Harry a ten," Ron said.

"Because he's got a man-crush on him," I said. The crowd laughed again as Harry jabbed me in the ribs. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Stop talking!" Harry yelled.

Now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too - six. "What?" Ron bellowed furiously. "Six? You lousy, biased scum-bag, you gave Krum ten!"

"What a fucking prick," I said.

The crowd roared with laughter. "Tara!" Harry said loudly, laughing along with everyone else.

I turned to him and smiled. "Hello."

"We've already said that," Harry pointed out.

I turned to Ron, briefly catching Karkaroff's eyes. "Well, he's a grumpy man," I commented.

"Tara, you know what this means!" Harry gasped.

I smiled at him. "No."

"You're in first place!" Ron said.

"Cool! Do I get a trophy?"

"Win the rest of the tournament," Harry said, chuckling.

"What tournament?" I asked.

"We should probably sit her down," Ron suggested to Harry.

Even though I couldn't walk straight, I wanted to go for a run. My heart felt lighter than air as the boys turned and dragged me to leave the enclosure. I smiled dumbly as my two boys held me up between them, people cheering after me. It wasn't just Ron. Those weren't only Gryffindor's cheering in the crowd. When it had come to it, when they had seen what I was facing, most of the school had been on my side as well as Cedric's. They didn't hate me anymore. I didn't care about the Slytherin's, I could stand whatever they threw at me now.

"You're in first place, Tara!" a red-headed man told me happily as we set off back for the school. "Harry and Krum are tied for second! Listen, I've got to run, I've got to go and send Mum an owl, I swore I'd tell her what happened - but that was unbelievable! Oh yeah - and they told me to tell you you've got to hang around for a few more minutes. Bagman wants a word, back in the champions' tent."

"Goodbye," I chirped, turning to the boys. "Who was that?"

Harry and Ron both laughed. "Come on," Harry said.

Ron said that he would wait for us, so Harry and I reentered the champions' tent, which somehow looked quite different now: friendly and welcoming. The champions were now all smiling, rather than looking like they were about to puke. I still kind of felt like I was going to puke. I thought back to how I had felt while dodging the Ridgeback and compared it to the long wait before I had walked out to face it. There was no comparison; the wait had been immeasurably worse and the reward had been worth it.

Cedric's P.O.V.

Cedric's face was still slightly warm but it had cooled down a lot over the last few minutes. He had heard the crowd roaring and knew that it meant Tara was okay. He'd seen her briefly but hadn't gotten much of a chance to speak to her. She had looked almost drunk when he had seen her a few minutes ago. Cedric asked Madam Pomfrey if he could go see her. He cared about her and wanted to make sure she was okay. Madam Pomfrey didn't look happy about his request but did eventually allow him to go check on his girlfriend.

Cedric walked into the tent and saw Tara sitting on one of the benches with Harry at her side. Cedric smiled at her. "Congratulations. I hear you're in first place now," he told her, prouder than he had expected to be.

Naturally, Cedric wanted to win, but he was proud of his girlfriend for being in first place for the time being. "That's what I heard, too," Cedric said, sending him a dumb smile. Her eyes were slightly glazed over. "Hello."

"Are you okay?" Cedric asked her.

"She got bitten by the Ridgeback right after she got the egg," Harry explained.

He was a little worried about Tara, but no one seemed that concerned. He glanced down at her leg and noticed that it was bandaged. "I see," Cedric said, watching her sway on the bench. "Good one, Harry."

Harry grinned. "Back at you."

"You look just like my boyfriend," Tara said, smiling up at him.

"Do I?" Cedric asked her teasingly.

"Yeah, but he's cuter. He doesn't have... that..." Tara trailed off as she motioned broadly at his new burn, making a funny face.

Cedric chuckled. "Is he?"

"Definitely. He's kind of a pain in the ass but he is hot," Tara said. Cedric laughed as Harry rolled his eyes, looking away from them. It made him feel a little bit better to know that she still cared about him, even after he had messed up so much the last few weeks. "His name is Cedric. He's great, but his friends suck."

"I'm sure he doesn't deserve you," Cedric said.

"Not at all!" Tara giggled as she rose from the bench and walked into Cedric's arms. He reached out and caught her before she fell to the ground. Tara smiled, looking up and poking him on the nose. "Betcha you don't either."

Cedric smiled. Delirious from the venom or not, she was correct. "Not in the slightest," he agreed.

"Uh, will she remember this?" Harry asked Madam Pomfrey, who had come into the tent.

"She likely won't remember anything after being bitten," Madam Pomfrey explained.

That was good, as Cedric knew that Tara didn't like being embarrassed. Fleur and Krum all came into the tent together. Cedric nodded at them both as he grabbed Tara tightly in his arms and dragged her along with him. He had to keep taking her hands in his to make sure she didn't try to run her fingers through the thick orange paste that was on one side of his face. It was almost like taking care of a small child, but he enjoyed that she wasn't yelling at him. They joined the circle as Harry came up to Tara's other side, keeping an arm around her back just in case she fell.

"Well done, all of you!" Ludo Bagman said, bouncing into the tent and looking as pleased as though he personally had just got past a dragon. "Now, just a quick few words. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half-past nine on the morning of February the twenty-fourth - but we're giving you something to think about in the meantime! If you look down at those golden eggs you're all holding, you will see that they open... see the hinges there? You need to solve the clue inside the egg - because it will tell you what the second task is, and enable you to prepare for it! All clear? Sure? Well, off you go, then!"

"Make sure she gets upstairs and goes to bed!" Madam Pomfrey instructed Harry and Cedric.

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said.

"I'll help you get her upstairs," Cedric offered.

Cedric, Harry, and Tara left the tent, joined Ron Weasley, and they started to walk back around the edge of the forest. Harry and Ron were talking hard; Harry wanted to hear what the other champions had done in more detail. Cedric was chuckling at Tara's mindless chattering. She seemed to be enjoying herself talking about how much she enjoyed swimming. She mentioned that she would have invited him to go swimming, but that her boyfriend probably wouldn't like it. Cedric had to fight to keep from bursting out laughing.

Her words didn't make much sense. She would get started on one subject and then immediately switch to another topic in the middle of her sentence. It was the chattiest he had seen her in weeks. He hoped that she stayed that way; it was nice to see her cheering up a bit. As their small group rounded a clump of trees not far from the tent, a witch leaped out from behind them. It was Rita Skeeter again. Tara fell silent at the sight of her. The writer was wearing acid-green robes today, the Quick-Quotes Quill in her hand blended perfectly against them.

"Congratulations, all three of you!" Rita Skeeter said, beaming at them. She looked at Harry. "I wonder if you could give me a quick word? How did you feel facing that dragon? How you feel now, about the fairness of the scoring?"

"Yeah, you can have a word," Harry said savagely. "Goodbye."

The rest of the people who had still been in the tent had now come out. Rita walked forward and said, "Oh, but Tara -"

"Print this," Tara interrupted, grabbing Cedric and pulling him down to her by the collar, planting a large kiss right on his mouth. "Bitch."

And as Tara released Cedric's collar and took his hand, holding her head high as she set back to the castle, Cedric could have sworn that Professor McGonagall was smirking even harder than he was.

 **A/N: _Next time..._** _Tara revels in the school finally recognizing her part in the Triwizard Tournament._ I had fun writing this one! I'd been looking forward to writing the dragons! So everyone knows, I'm going to update some of my other stories before coming back to this one. I hope you've enjoyed the last few quick updates! Thank you for the follows and favorites! **Please review!** Until next time -A 

**Guest: Yes, I promise some Draco scenes are coming in the next few chapters!**

 **Dove Salvatore 21051: That's true! We are getting a lot more time to update lol. I'm still actually going in to work every day but I get the evenings and weekends to write now because I can't do much of anything else. Look for the silver lining in the situation!**

 **slyqueen: Yes, I'm updating quickly with nothing else to do on the weekends! I hate Skeeter, I had half a mind to make Norberta just crush her in this chapter and be done with it but she's unfortunately a relatively major player in the upcoming books. I hope you enjoyed the First Task! I had a good time writing it.**

 **Ghostie1701: Lol I hope your sisters weren't too angry with you waking them up! I love Tara's parents so I always have fun bringing them back into the story. Don't worry, I'm not done with Cedric and Tara yet! They're way too fun. I had to bring Remus back (he will be back later too) and I couldn't resist bringing Norberta back! Well, all I can say on that is that some of the deaths will be changed. Maybe not always the ones you're thinking! Take care!**

 **Marnie Quiera: It was a tough chapter for Tara and that was what I wanted to show. She is having a tough time and she's only a teenager. It's not fair for her. It does show that she does have real friends, like Fred being there for her no matter what's going on. Rita Skeeter is a repulsive character and it goes to show what kind of person she is and what the Daily Prophet would be willing to do to sell papers.**

 **Yes, you will be getting a jealous Cedric! Not quite yet, but that part of him is coming soon. As you saw in this chapter, Cedric felt bad for not standing up for Tara soon enough. There was just a brief Cedric P.O.V. in this one but we're going to get a longer and more in-depth one soon. Oh, I hope you don't stop reading no matter what I decide to write!**

 **Fred's going to stand up for Tara! Don't worry. He's going to do whatever it takes to make his friend smile. Trust me, Tara has no intentions to forgive his friends, but at the same time, she knows that they mean a lot to Cedric. She tries to be mature even if it doesn't always work out.**

 **That's so true! I think Tara would have a lot of fun if she went to the Yule Ball with Fred. They would have a good laugh. Tara's going to start having a little bit more fun as the story goes on, so that's something to look forward to. She deserves some fun!**

 **It was so to see her crying! It's not too often Tara cries or shows real emotion so that was a little strange to write. Of course, no one knows just how much they've hurt her as she only let Cedric and Fred see her pain. I do plan to explore the relationship between Fleur and Tara a bit in the future. I think it could be interesting. Don't worry! Tara's going to let Cho have it at some point!**

 **Hopefully you saw more nonchalant Tara in this chapter - once she beat her dragon, at least. She was a little too terrified before that. She's not letting people see her cry anymore!**

 **Fred adores Tara so it was only natural that he came to her side when he knew she was hurting. Tara will be a lot happier in the next chapter, I promise! She's getting her mojo back!**

 **I'm a big fan of profane language (obviously) so I've always enjoyed writing Tara's insults. They're not expecting a fifteen-year-old girl to speak like that!**

 **Can't promise what I'm going to do with Cedric but I hope you understand either way!**

 **I'm going to continue the story! I will be updating some of my other ones, but I'll be coming back to this one soon. That's so sweet of you! I hope you continue to enjoy the story as much as you have been enjoying it! Thank you for reading! And don't feel bad about the long review, I love them!**

 **Guest1942: That's an interesting idea, having Cedric pull Ted or Michael out of the lake. Tara may have a better idea of leaving them down there, though... Considering who Tara will be pulling out of the lake, I won't say exactly who it is but I think you can figure it out! I promise it's not a big secret and it won't be that surprising.**

 **Vincent FGS91: Thank you! I always love hearing when people enjoy my writing. I couldn't resist bringing Norberta back into the story. Take care out there!**

 **Guest: I believe you were the same person that left a few review, so here it goes. As for what's going to happen between Fred and Tara in the future, it's definitely about Cedric and Tara right now! In our world, there's definitely a law regarding writing about minors. In the Wizarding World, we're going to pretend that there isn't! Yes, Cedric's friends can be real pieces of work. Don't worry, Tara's not going to keep letting people walk all over her!**

 **Toffeeloveryes: I'm so glad you love the story! Yes, it's been a long story with a long road to get here! I'm so glad you like the original sections! We're going to see a more jealous Cedric in the future. He does feel the same way when he sees boys flirting with Tara, but he isn't as obvious about she is.**


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